It is one of the greatest tragedies in life when you realize the true uniqueness of a person only when he or she is gone or has been missing for quite some time. Considering only a few encounters of the thousands we make in our lives truly linger on, understanding what has made a person special and why one has felt attached to him or her, can be truly painful, but also says a lot about ourselves. To pinpoint this moment of clarity has been the subject of many stories, in literature, music and in film, which makes the task of standing out with your own addition quite difficult. In her short feature “She's Gone” young filmmaker Sara Ogawa tells the story about one of those special encounters in the life of a high-school student, which changes her life forever and also the way she perceives the world around herself.
She's Gone is screening at Inland Dimensions
Kotoko is a high-school student who feels mostly bored by her peers, her parents and the life in the small town where she lives. However, when Sachi, a new student, arrives in class, the two girls become friends, sharing common interests and talking about fantasies of finally being able to escape the small-mindedness of their homes. One of their favorite fantasies is about the idea of foreign planets and worlds, and how amazing it would be to explore them on their own. At the same time, a shadow is cast on their friendship, as Sachi is terribly ill and often misses class, but when she has been absent for a few days in a row, Kotoko becomes worried about her friend, and realizes the true meaning of their friendship.
During her time in university, Ogawa has directed three features, and while all of them explore various subjects and characters, for some reason “She's Gone” feels quite personal right from the very first image. Even without the knowledge of her other work, the emotional core of the feature becomes quite obvious, starting from the high-school setting to the deep exploration of subjects like friendship and alienation. Similar to a diary entry from someone of Kotoko's age, the narrative jumps between various episodes of the protagonist's life, from the isolation felt during a family dinner and the sheer joy of exploring the city and the flavor of a new candy together with your best friend. Ogawa's editing in combination with Hiroshi Okuyama's cinematography do their best to re-create the roller-coaster-experience of growing up and the emotions of finding your soul mate.
At the same time, what makes “She's Gone” really stand out is the casting of Miyu Ogawa and Yuna Watanabe as the lead characters. Especially the former gives a believable and nuanced performance as a young girl dreaming of escaping the restrictions of home and who frequently delves into the her own fantasies, shared by her newfound friend. Thus, their scenes become very natural and, in combination with the aforementioned technical features, a real joy to watch and re-visit.
In the end, “She's Gone” is a truly wonderful and touching drama about friendship. Sara Ogawa shows what makes a connection between two people, like the two main characters, special, how they share their deepest wishes and fears, and what it means when one of them is suddenly not there anymore.
