Kanako Seri (played by Ryo Matsuura) is a guitarist in a band of three. As part of her commute, she boards a bus and gets caught up in a melody hummed by an old lady. Intrigued, she decides not to get off and takes the bus to its very last stop. On the way, she has unique experiences with passengers getting on and off the bus. The night rolls out and she is treated to one bizarre experience after another. She finds out that she may have a gift and there may be others who share such unique abilities.
The conversation begins with three musicians talking about whether ghosts would have anything to complain about. This in a way indirectly provides context to what transpires and helps to get deeper into the narration. Without that context, the bus ride could very well have been a metaphor for life. The way we go through life and meet others and how they influence us in different ways and so on.
An old lady humming to a tune on a bus is not an everyday thing. It suddenly got me thinking that personally, that would make me feel uncomfortable. And yet again, when the protagonist walks to the lady and tries to record the tune, it got me sensitized to how a musician is a totally different creature.
Fascination with ghosts is quite integral to Japanese culture and that in itself helps to explore beyond stereotypes. Here we have an artist looking for inspiration and drawn into a night of unusual events. There were reflections of an aesthetic version of “Sixth Sense”. Some people are gifted in ways that are considered abnormal.
Starting in the morning, moving to twilight, then the night and walking through the dawn are quite a lot of lighting changes. These are captured beautifully.
The acting is more natural and there is a sense of ease which leaves you with the space to think and absorb the content. Direction by Yurina Kaneko and photography by Yuko Hirami maintains the engagement and the mystery which a subject like this need. Music by Tokiyo with dreamy electric guitar loops and melody adds on to the pensive state of the feature quite nicely.
The ring of light around the dog's neck, Kanako listening to a tape of random people talking while having dinner etc, allude to the artistic inspirations behind this work.
At some point in time, many would have dreamed of going on a trip and not getting down at the designated stop just to see where the ride takes you. The sleeping Insect, shows that this may be truer for someone more artistically inclined. Life doesn't end when the physical body stops to exist. The dreams and aspirations live on and are manifested as ghosts, though not everyone gets a share of that incredible experience.
