“The heart of man is very much like the sea,
it has its storms, it has its tides and in its depths it has its pearls too”
-Vincent Van Gogh
ROMANCE | JAPANESE, ENGLISH | 100 MINS | DEVELOPMENT
SYNOPSIS
The film opens with Shiko riding a motorcycle with full throttle, outriding the deafening noise of a military helicopter, trying to forget his ex-girlfriend.
He meets Coco, a former schoolmate joining the staff at his family-run inn, and their relationship grows as he trains her for the job.
Then Shiko meets Lisa, a Taipei-based photographer who is documenting Taiwanese immigrant stories. They develop a connection, despite competing conflicts with Coco. When Lisa confides in Shiko about the true purpose of her trip to Ishigaki island, to meet up with a soldier she met in Taipei, Shiko offers his help, despite his disappointment.
The meeting with the soldier confounds his idea of what love could offer. A heated argument with Coco over Lisa causes Coco to leave her job and return to her island. Shiko has once more a choice, but finally realized his real feelings toward Coco – is there beauty in uncertainty? He goes to find out.
Director Anshul Chauhan
Anshul Chauhan, born in India, began his career as an animator in 2006 at Paprikaas Studios, working on Nickelodeon series like Farm Kids and Back At the Barnyard. He later joined the National Award-winning Delhi Safari and led BBC’s Everything’s Rosie production team in Bangalore.
In 2011, he moved to Tokyo, working with studios like Polygon Pictures on Tron: Uprising and Transformers, and OLM on Bandai Namco’s Pacman series. At Square Enix, he contributed to major titles including Final Fantasy XV, Kingsglaive, Kingdom Hearts 3, Gantz:0, and Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
In 2016, he founded Kowatanda Films, debuting as a director with Bad Poetry Tokyo (2017), followed by Kontora (2019), which won Grand Prix at Tallinn Black Nights and the Obayashi Award. His 2021 film DECEMBER Nominee of Kim Ji Seok Award in Busan International Film Festival 2022 and Latest work Tiger also selected to Busan International Film Festival 2025 Vision Asia. Anshul is currently working on High Seasons, set in Okinawa’s Ishigaki Island.