Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2012

Featured at the recently prestigious Karlovy International Film Fest, this work has a depressive subject and atmosphere. Yet there is something compelling about the sparse storytelling which matches the rough landscape of Shimane prefecture.

Chiyo (Keiko Takahashi) runs a tiny bakery left to her by her mother in the outback of Japan. In fact, it’s the last stop on a lonely bus line that ends near cliffs where people go to commit suicide. A ritual develops where the doomed buy bread and milk from the bakery as their proverbial last supper before offing themselves. Chiyo struggles with this reality but never interferes with the line of customers on their way out. Small touches, like the shoes of the deceased that must be retrieved, add to the story’s power.

This film represents a fitting comeback for Takahashi who was hailed as one of the big actresses in Japan before she gave up over 20 years ago. But viewers should prepare themselves for a heavy experience. (104 min)