Where you going?
Nowhere, really
What a pain to go all the way back
You see much of the people you came with?
No, only rarely
We e-mail some, but...
Did you know each other from before
your sister died...
No
Just go!
I told you to get out
Just go!
What are you doing here!
You're not involved, leave!
Get out!
Please listen...
No, you jerk, this is about our marriage
Just get out!
You guys...
Do whatever, then
Sure fooled me
I thought you were awful serious about yoga class, but look at this
Some nerve while I'm workin' my butt off
What the fuck!
There...
in the Group... we trust each other
very deeply
It's not your fault, dear
My fault? You don't trust me, then?
But...
I try to talk to you
You were never really willing to face me
What I want is to
start my life over again
Why?
Finally,
at last,
I have something to live for
And what's that?
Something... My marriage...
I didn't have at home
What happened?
Where are all your memories? You're crazy
Have you been tricked?
It's not funny
And with Miyamura, of all people, what the hell is this?
After all I did for him
Who do you trust? Huh?
You trust him or me?
It's not about that
Who!
It's not about you or him, it's that,
I found a very precious set of values there
That's called religion You gotta resort to that crap?
No...
This jerk here was worthless even in high school
I had to find him a job, which he up and quit!
Minoru san, your...
Cut the Minoru san crap! Asshole!
You may think I'm a bench warmer, worthless scum...
But...
No buts around here, I don't give a shit, just get out!
I'm living under a completely different set of values now
I've found the absolute
What the hell's the absolute!
I'm telling you I'm not the same person I was then
What the... You guys haven't changed at all
You know what you're doing?
You're breaking the law
You know that?
Know what you're doing?
You're soliciting You're swindling
Cut the crap, man
You jerk, you, it s like... you can't get anything right,
so you just run away from reality
Cut the crap, man You haven t even got a job
How you gonna eat, man?
Something s definitely wrong, man
Then, Minoru san, your reality...
Isn't it false?
What?
Get out, asshole!
Is it genuine?
What the fuck s 'genuine"!
Huh! What's genuine!
Get out of here Huh?
Enough of your crap, you jerk...
Do you need this?
He doesn't need it, the jerk! Just get out!
Dear...
Thank you
Oh, sorry...
Thanks
Thank you
Sure is chilly here
Have a seat
I m fine
Sit down
You're such an idiot
Why'd you join the Group?
Well... I wonder...
Your folks?
No... I haven't been in touch with them at all
Not even your siblings?
No...
Married?
Not married either
That Group... was it like, comfortable?
It's quiet
Very quiet
It's gotten colder
You OK?
I m fine
It s so quiet you can hear everything
I've just been wondering...
What it was like for my sister and everyone
Was it like a family... Had a warm atmosphere?
Well, yes, in a way
You ate together?
We did
You all slept together here?
Together
Upstairs?
No, not upstairs
But all those futons
The police stacked them up like that
They took everything else away
You all slept, lined up like sardines in a can?
No, we all slept separately
I slept in the living room
Kai san, she slept up there, where you were before
With?
There was Kai san and... Mizuhara san...
Mostly... I think the women slept in one room...
Huh... and the guys, were...
Yeah, in the living room or downstairs...
Earlier...
I think it was my sister's
I found this by the window
Its fragrance is gone
It's a daisy sachet
The bouquet you brought...
My sister's favorite
I see...
I haven't been able to find anything...
But maybe that s just as well
Why?
We ended up here quite unexpectedly, right?
And I'm not sure
I'd know what to do, if I did find
something of his
It may sound strange...
Just between you and me,
the last time I saw him, he left his shoes behind
And I've...
I've never known what to... I still have them
And if there was something else of his...
You know...
I want to go over there
To go over there?
You can hear so many birds, but they don't fly
Yeah... they're just hiding in the trees
Know the 5 conditions of a solitary bird?
No
A solitary bird? What's that?
The 5 conditions of a solitary bird The first
First, the solitary bird
flies to the highest point
The highest point... How high is that?
Higher than where any other birds fly
Higher... Huh...
The second
A solitary bird does not suffer for company
even of its own bird
The third?
A solitary bird...
Aims its beak to the skies
What does it mean to aim your beak to the skies?
Like this?
Maybe like this
Looking at the sky?
Maybe...
See, that bird's high It's flying high, maybe a solitary bird?
Maybe it s solitary
It's awfully high
So high
Where's Masaru?
The bathroom
What a pee
How far'd you go?
Into the mountains
Cold in the mountains
See anything?
Saw some beetles
Huh
Cold...
Cigarettes?
Sure
Atsushi and Kiyoka, you guys OK missing work tomorrow?
Not me, huh?
You re a student
I m fine
And you?
I'll be just fine... We're all in this together
Tryin' to act cool...
No, just kidding
You jerk...
You got a little sunburned
Sunburned? It was so sunny Cut it out, you're blinding me
Really sunburned
You sure are
Teaching fun?
Sure it is
Go to work, come home...
It's more than that
No, I mean, I'm sorry, you go to work and teach,
then you go home What do you do when you get home?
After I get home?
Plan my classes, grade papers...
Oh, right
There's tests... Just like you have
I don't have tests
Only practical training, so life's a breeze, breezy life
Have you changed jobs?
No, same job
What kind of work?
Construction company
Um... you wear a suit?
Sometimes, coveralls, sometimes
You like a foreman?
Stuff like that, lots of stuff
You tired?
Exhausted
What were those flowers you brought?
Those were... daisies
You know daisies?
Do you?
Nope
They were cute You arrange em?
Yeah, from our store
They smell really good
Yeah
Man I'm wiped
According to statements made by Group members,
the perpetrators bodies were burned,
and their ashes scattered in the lake
For our part, we conducted an extensive search of the lake,
but found nothing No remains, no articles
I've known him since we were students
He's a very serious person,
deeply committed to education
When did you realize your husband was different?
Didn't you know?
What? I couldn't hear
Your wife had an abortion... Twice
It s all there in the hospital records
When was that?
Before she joined the Group
So you didn't know?
No
Which means...
She did it without consulting you
Flowers meant a lot to...
Especially...
the lilies that symbolized the Group
Always displayed in the entryway
I remember that distinctly
Um...
Did you ever notice anything about him
that may have predisposed him to such actions?
I don't know... I mean... From when we were little?
Well, not necessarily from when he was a child, but at any time
Was there anything... I don't think so
You didn't live together much
No, we did
But we never paid each other much attention
So, I see... Huh...
A drag...
It's still comin' down pretty hard
There's a time they call Silent Blue...
I think that's my favorite time of day...
When night becomes morning...
Is that
the end or the beginning of a day?
It's that moment,
when one day ends and the next begins
I think maybe I'm
inside that Silent Blue right now
I'm participating in a history
that's about to end, then begin again
Atsushi, you know,
going back to that stuff about God we were talking about
God? God, huh...
Do you believe? First, do you or don't you believe?
I don t believe in... God
So that's your... So there's no God
Yeah, there's no what you would call "God" inside of me
Don't you think humans invented the word God in the first place?
I think so too
So then, is there a God... or what people mean
when they say God, something like that inside of you?
Yeah, there is
But that's God, isn't it?
For me,
there really is something that takes the place of a God inside me
I don't know that it s absolute
But whatever it is that I believe in that moment,
I would call it the equivalent of God
But ultimately God...
and righteousness have been
used to justify
things like mass murder, right?
I think for me, If I...
were going to hurt people,
because I had those beliefs,
then I'd much rather choose a life
of not believing in anything
Tamaki san
Welcome home
Remember?
The poetry book, ' For you, my Students '
What are you..?
Just listen,
"Arguing only from past history, and from geological data,
' all of the faiths and ethics of our ancestors,
"and perhaps even our own, appear to be based on falsehoods..."
Didn't you come home?
"...foreshadowing only suicide and despair '
Hey!
' Our petty..."
Come back!
Wait! " Our petty squabbles in life and work..."
What is this!
"...must now be laid aside... '
What is this!
This is the part! "The time is upon us to unite... '
This is where his poem ends
I finally understand what he was trying to say!
What is this!
Wait, c'mon! I finally understand it...
What is this! What about Takuya?
You don't even ask about him!
What about me!
Hey, read this part...
What is this! What is this!
Read that part, c'mon, hey...
Read this, read this, read this, here!
No! No!
Cut it out! Stop it!
"...is upon us to unite..."
Oh... please!
Enough!
Who cares about a poem!
Yamamoto san? Let's see
He really looked after us,
he really took care of me
I guess... 'cause he was a teacher,
he brought us closer together
I was always kind of a slacker,
but he was always serious... Always thinking about everyone else
He was really generous...
Why... was he...
...one of the perpetrators?
I wonder... Yamamoto san was...
I mean it sounds strange, but he was elite
He was a gifted person and I don't really know why he was,
but for someone like me,
to be chosen to join them, I mean I was just an underling
which makes sense, 'cause I m stupid
I mean...
When I was brought into
his circle, I was shocked...
You know he s betrayed us
He's the kind of elitist who always runs off
Don't worry, Tamaki san will come back
He's just gone to bid his wife farewell
But if he does that, they'll find out
And so much for all our plans if they find out
He's definitely suspect
I mean he's always talking about education and stuff,
but when push comes to shove, he takes off
Thinks he's elite
And you, Sakata? No regrets about leaving that world?
I don't think so...
None at all
Is it really going to work?
I know we have to make it work, but...
I guess we've all got to make it work...
It'll work
I don t know who s expecting what...
Not that I need anybody's expectations, it's up to me, but...
It's all going to end, isn't it?
It s not ending
It's not ending, but I kind of like living here...
So it s kind of sad that I won t have that any more
I m glad
I'm really glad that I got to meet you here
Oh boy, it's raining hard again
Thank you
Wanna escape?
It'll be fine, it'll definitely work We'll succeed
I mean we've already made up our minds, right?
So we can escape
Having made up our minds is plenty
Let s take off together
Of course you won't...
We'll definitely succeed!
We'll succeed
Yeah, sure, but...
How do we do this?
Put that on...
Put that one under...
Sakata san, why don't you come by the fire
Sure's cold
Sure is
It's wet, but go ahead
Can I have one?
Back then...
Yeah, we'd light fires just like this
You couldn't have stopped them, Sakata san?
There's really nothing to say about that
All kinds of people have asked me that...
I've even been attacked for it,
just walking down the street
But you had to... some things you would only know if you were here
And I didn't mean to betray them, but it turned out that way
I wanted to be part of them, still, and if possible,
if we could all agree
to take things in a different direction, that's what I'd hoped
But there really are some things you can't possibly
understand if you weren't here
Did you sleep?
A little
Really, it's that I got sucked into their way of thinking
and it carried me away, that's what I think
But after everything in this world is washed away
only the chosen few will remain That's what they teach, isn't it?
What's that?
Well... I don't know... I don't really...
Don't "well..." me
Well... considering who I am, I probably
couldn't comprehend it
They didn't tell me anything while I was there
I just sensed that maybe
all kinds of horrible things might happen
and I was afraid of what would happen to me if I stayed around for it
I couldn't stop it...
I wonder what the other five think of you now
Surely, some of them really cared about you
Well... I don't really think
I was involved so deeply
So I don't know what they'd think of me
and I didn't know what they were thinking then
I bet they think you betrayed them
Well... maybe they think I betrayed them...
But from my point of view, they were the crazy ones
I don't like to think I belong with people who'd do such things
I mean, it s obvious, they re the crazy ones
So even if they think I betrayed them,
it wouldn't mean anything to me Fine, let them think I betrayed them
So for you...
You'd rather they just disappeared?
Yeah, I guess Yeah, definitely
Because for me
the truth is, I don t care about them anymore
You know,
he's dead, your leader
Couldn't take the pressure Killed himself
Just what you wanted, huh?
No, it's not what I wanted, but...
I guess in a way... Is that really true?
They were like... ' Is your,
' is your life genuine..." and like...
"Minoru san,
' is your life genuine..." that's what they said
Maybe I'm running away
I don't know, I really don't know
But...
Is it really so bad to run away?
Were you close to your sister?
We were
You don't resemble her
I don't?
She was older by...
Two years
Don't resemble her?
What was the leader like?
The leader... Well...
When I first joined, it's...
kind of embarrassing, but he was like a father
When I first joined,
it wasn't such a big
religious organization,
so it felt something like a family, he was like the father
And now...
What do you think about him now?
I don't think about him at all now
Shall we go?
Thanks
Drink some, Atsushi
Tastes great!
I'd like an egg on that
An egg, oh, sure
There you go
That s mine!
Hello
Um... Listen...
It's that...
Um... No, like stuff happened
Um, we had to stay over...
Of course I didn't!
No way I'd do that, c'mon
Your noodles are ready
I'm sorry, that OK?
I m sorry, thank you
There are your noodles
Thank you
No I did not!
I'm totally fine
Thanks
Enjoy
I II explain it later... OK, of course not
Coming back next year?
There's one thing that bothers me
Who are you, really?
Um... Are you really her brother?
Yes I am Why? What is it?
The thing is, what I heard,
was that her brother had killed himself a few years back
That s what my sister said?
That's right
She probably lied
No...
If she were lying...
She wouldn't have said it that way
We're about to reach our final destination
Please take all your belongings with you
Thank you for riding Japan Railways today
Thank you for your patronage
I'm off then
OK then, see you next year
Tanabe san passed away Three days ago
I just assumed you were his son...
But you re not
His real son came...
He never visited while his father was alive, but...
Who exactly are...
You regret marrying me, don't you?
What about the children? Don t you love them?
You work in a flower shop, too, don't you?
Yes
Flowers?
I love flowers
Were you influenced?
I don't think I was influenced...
But I remember the smell of the lilies vividly
I don t think I was influenced
One out!
OK, here, bring some water
Infield, throw to first!
Run, run!
When you get the ball, it's one two!
Move in, in, in!
That ball wasn't for the shortstop!
Who's faster, shortstop or second base, huh?
Keep alert, now!
Don't bother answering me! Be serious!
Keep your eye on the ball!
Oh, and this is great, too
Pretty, right?
Somehow she's always in the picture
Look, this guy sitting there s Minoru
He's that type, huh?
Yeah, we're pretty alike
All different ages?
Yeah
This is when our car got stolen at the end
Car got stolen?
Yeah, what a mess
What a drag!
That's why my phone didn't work
But from now on, can t you try to not get so hysterical?
But!
But you said you were coming back
and you didn't...
I thought something'd happened
Something did
I couldn't sleep, kept calling
I was fine...
But you were in your pajamas, right? You were all ready to go to sleep
What's the difference!
You always say stuff like that and lie to me, Masaru
Can you swim?
You know how to swim?
I can t Didn't I tell you, I can't swim
I II teach you how
Why?
Hello?
Oh, Takuya?
Yeah How was it?
Oh, that s wonderful
Really?
How's grandpa?
That might be a little difficult
Father...
ARATA
ISEYA Yusuke
TERAJIMA Susumu
NATSUKAWA Yui
ASANO Tadanobu
RYO
NAKAMURA Baijaku
Executive Producers SHIGENOBU Yutaka, SAITO Akira
Development Producer YASUDA Masahiro
Producer AKIEDA Masayuki
Associate Producers URATANI Toshiro, ARAKAWA Reiko
Cinematography YAMAZAKI Yutaka
Sound MORI Eiji
Art Direction ISOMI Toshihiro
Production Manager SHIRAISHI Osamu
Still Photography WAKAGI Shingo
Produced by TV Man Union/ Engine Film Japan Rental System Supply / Imagica Corp.
Directed, Written and Edited by KORE-EDA Hirokazu
English subtitles Linda Hoaglund