What's the matter, mister?
The water's come!
It's my turn.
Hold your left hand lower.
Try using your right hand. You won't get as tired.
I haven't slept much.
Rest if you want. It takes getting used to.
This must be how it would feel
if my muscles were made of cement.
You'll tire easily until you're used to it.
I wonder if I'll ever get used to it.
You will.
I don't get it.
Doesn't all this seem pointless to you?
Are you shoveling sand to live, or living to shovel sand?
I know it's not as fun as Tokyo.
I'm not talking about Tokyo!
How can you stand being trapped like this?
This is my home.
Then demand your rights.
Me, I'm just biding my time until I'm rescued.
Rescued?
Of course.
If I miss a week of work, they'll come looking for me.
They'll see the book left open in my room
and find the loose change in my coat pocket.
They're bound to be suspicious.
But you'll live like this forever if you don't speak up.
But they're buried here.
They?
My husband and daughter.
So you mean...
you'd leave if they were dug up? I'll help you do it!
You know how to make them lower the ladder.
There's nothing for me to do on the outside.
You could walk around.
Walk around?
Yes! It's great to walk around freely!
Isn't it exhausting, just walking around aimlessly?
This isn't funny!
Even dogs go crazy chained up all day!
And we're human beings!
But you see, if it weren't for the sand,
no one would bother about me.
Isn't that right?
Not even you.
Look, here's one.
Don't do that!
This is what brought me here in the first place.
It's the tiger beetle I was telling you about.
Got any scissors?
Scissors?
I just want to trim my whiskers.
I should have some.
They may not be very sharp.
They sure are rusty.
It's because of the sand.
- These are no good. - No?
Not even close.
Let's ask for a razor when they bring the rations.
See? The sand makes my whiskers all scratchy.
That sand just ruins everything, doesn't it?
Hey, hurry up!
All right! Thanks!
Where's your husband?
Stomachache. He caught a chill.
Or maybe you gave him too much lovin'!
Clear!
Need help with the bath?
No bath tonight. I'm dead tired.
But I'd really like one.
No, you're sick.
I'm sticky with sweat.
Night sweats. I was too sick to sleep.
I guess I could heat it up.
- Please. I'll help. - That's okay. I'll do it.
What are you thinking?
Nothing.
I'll take your picture. Stand there.
No, I'd rather not.
Come on.
Smile.
You want to go home, don't you?
Why do you ask?
A radio might take your mind off things.
You could hear about the world.
Why bother?
You'd know what's happening in Tokyo.
I began collecting insects to get away from all that.
Compared to that unfathomable way of life,
getting my name in a book is at least something tangible.
But a radio would be a nice diversion.
Very well.
Shall we finish off that shochu?
- You're still sick. - It helps you sleep.
I'm sleepy enough without it.
Come on, have some.
I really can't.
Come on. I feel like celebrating today.
- The water's boiling. - Come on.
What's gotten into you?
Go ahead, drink up.
It feels good to finally have a bath.
You're terrible, making me work like this when I'm so tired.
Help!
Someone help me!
Help!
Here, grab on to this.
Please pull me out with this rope.
You fool, we can't pull you out like some kind of root.
We'll dig you out. Grab on to the board.
Good thing we came by in time.
There's a lot of quicksand around here.
Even the dogs stay away.
How many people have fallen in before?
Hikers and others don't know it's here.
If we dug, we might find something valuable.
Two or three cameras for sure.
Be quiet.
I'm sorry.
Shall I make some tea?
What time is it?
I don't know.
Maybe around 8:30.
I failed.
Complete and utter failure.
Do you have...
a wife?
In Tokyo.
That's no concern of yours.
You're right.
But it's too bad.
If I'd succeeded,
I was going to send you a radio.
A radio?
You want one, don't you?
That's all right. You don't have to do that.
I can do piecework and buy one here.
I failed.
Shall I wipe you off?
I didn't know the geography, that's why.
But eventually they'll come looking for me:
my friends, the union,
the school board, the PTA.
They won't let me die here.
Come. Let me wash you.
What's that?
- My last hope. - Last hope?
It's a crow trap.
I place the bait on top of the newspaper.
If a crow goes for the bait, it'll get sucked into the sand.
Crows are very clever.
Hunger makes them stupid.
Why do you say it's your last hope?
'Cause it is.
I'll tie a message to its leg asking for help.
They're not coming, you know.
It's been almost three months.
Who?
Your rescuers.
They probably think you ran away.
Ran away?
That you got sick of your job.
Impossible.
I left my bankbook lying around.
I left an open book on my desk.
Anyone could see the room's practically screaming for help.
What's there for you?
What do you mean?
In Tokyo.
Why do you think I said to go see it?
This is too much.
Hey, your rations!
Wait a minute! Wait!
Can't you let me out once in a while?
Thirty minutes, once a day, to see the sea?
I promise not to escape.
Twenty minutes! Even ten!
I've been good for three months! Please, I'm going crazy!
The village council will discuss it and let you know.
Please! You can keep me under guard!
You're working terribly hard.
Twenty more and I'll earn 1,000 yen.
"You're being such a good sport."
"I keep smiling through thick and thin!"
I won't be made a fool of!
I refuse to die like a dog!
What good's a radio? Soon it'll be too late.
They don't care about you.
I know that much.
People only care about themselves.
Here we are, ruthlessly exploited, yet happily wagging our tails.
Before you know it, they'll abandon us here.
Never! All the sand is here!
The sand? What good is that?
It's the source of all your troubles.
- It sells. - Where?
At the factories in town.
Are you joking? It's illegal to use sand this salty.
Under the table, at half price.
Hardly a bargain when a dam or building collapses.
That's other people's business.
That's right. That's other people's business.
But someone's getting rich off this scam.
Why help them?
The union does the buying and selling.
They treat us very well.
I'll sift the sand.
Living here is like building a house on water
when a boat would make more sense.
Such rigid thinking.
It has to be a house or nothing at all.
But don't you want to go home too?
That's different.
Even if it's only a lie,
it helps to have hope
that tomorrow things will change.
I'm so frightened every morning
when I go to sleep
that I'll wake up alone again.
That really frightens me.
Put them in here.
Hey, mister, working hard?
What's he doing here? It's too early for the basket.
You said you wanted to see the sea?
Yes.
Please! Will you let me?
It's a possibility.
Please. I've learned my lesson.
Just an hour a day?
Okay, but show us some you-know-what.
Both of you come out
where everybody can see you.
"You-know-what"?
Yeah, you heard me.
You know, with your old lady.
Like this, man!
We all discussed it.
We all agreed. This is what you gotta do.
Hey, what's taking so long!
Hurry up!
What should we do?
It's ridiculous!
But it's my only chance.
Just ignore them.
Look, we don't have to take it so seriously.
What? We're not perverts!
Who cares? We're living like animals anyway!
Come on! We can just pretend!
You idiot!
How did this happen?
That's odd.
It hasn't rained a drop in over three weeks.
It must be capillary action.
That's it.
If I can perfect the technique, we'll never worry about water again.
Evaporation at the surface draws up underground moisture.
The entire dune acts as a pump.
It's as if we're sitting on top of a suction pump.
I may be able to devise an even better tank.
This is awful! I can hardly breathe.
It's almost December.
Well, then.
That again?
Food's scarce when it's cold. A crow's more likely to take the bait.
Men!
Sometimes I want to be the one to set a trap.
If only the radio would arrive,
we could hear the weather report.
I'm afraid.
I'll bury this while the water's heating.
Just another day now...
Help!
Someone help!
No... no.
- What's wrong? - She's in pain.
It's a baby.
A baby?
Since when?
October.
- Any pain here? - Yes.
- Nausea? - Yeah.
What about here?
It may be an ectopic pregnancy.
How do you know these things?
He used to shoe horses for the veterinarian!
Never mind. Just call a doctor quick!
He wouldn't get here in time.
Doctors nowadays...
Have them bring the three-wheeler.
Here they come.
I'm afraid.
Has the wind died down?
Yes, quite a bit.
- How do we get her up? - Wrap her in the futon.
Let's go.
Put a board beneath her.
Here's your radio.
The radio, huh?
Bad timing.
Shall I open it?
Want to take it?
Wrap it up with her in the futon.
Have you got another board?
Take one from the shelf out back.
The one below that.
- Okay, one, two - - Lift!
No... no.
Listen.
Wait.
Did you say something?
Never mind. Some other time.
No...
Okay, pull her up.
No.
No... no!
Pull her in closer.
Take it slow. Don't rush.
There's no need to rush away just yet.
I have a return ticket.
I'm free to write in my own origin and destination.
Besides, I'm bursting with the desire
to tell someone about the pump.
And who better to tell than these villagers?
If not today, maybe tomorrow.
I'm sure I'll end up telling somebody.
I can think about escaping the day after that.
TOKYO FAMILY COURT MISSING PERSON REPORT
NAME: JUMPEl NIKI
DATE OF BIRTH: MARCH 7, 1927
MISSING OVER SEVEN YEARS
LISTED AS DISAPPEARED