Arquivo

Old Shigeki, suffering from senile dementia, lives in a small retirement home filled with light and tranquility that sits on the edge of a mighty forest. He holds on to a special relationship with his dead wife, Mako, his long letters to her the silent testimony of his undying love. But now the thirty-third anniversary of Mako’s death is approaching and, according to Japanese Buddhist beliefs, this means the departed must travel to the land of Buddha. The time has come for the couple to part forever. Harbinger of this ritual separation is Machiko, a young nurse at the home who seems to devote special attention to Shigeki, even though she is still shakily coping with the recent death of her son. One day, disoriented in the woods, the young woman and the old man lose their identities, then regain and redefine them. The weaker becomes the stronger, the caregiver becomes the cared for.