Without a doubt, periods of transition are the most defining times in our lives. No matter the context and circumstances, taking the necessary time to set (or re-set) the course of your life, welcoming change or saying goodbye, during these times we mostly prove to ourselves how much we are able to grow, be there for one another and can cope with the hurdles life puts in our way. In the life of Daijiro Mizuno, the birth of his son Terasu was one of those moments, but also fifteen months later the death of his wife Mie and Terasu's mom due to stomach cancer. In the short documentary aptly titled “Transition” he and Kana Ohashi take a look back at the last couple of years in the lives of Mizuno's family, using the images and footage he shot with his smartphone as the foundation.
“Transition” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020
Set between 2017 and 2019, the documentary consists of a mixture of images and home video footage. As indicated by the title, there are various periods of change for the family, most significantly, Terasu's birth and Mie's death, but also various trips and the eventual move out of the old family home into a new one. Combining moments of happiness and laughter with images of drama and grief, the film – apart from a few lines of explanation at the end – needs no voice-over or dialogue, resulting in the viewer being able to experience these moments and what they meant.
In conclusion, this is perhaps what best describes the quality of a feature such as this – the seeming collection of visual puzzle pieces which eventually connect with the viewer. It is an effect that is quite profound and which the director of this minimalist, yet touching documentary achieve quite often in just 19 minutes running time.
