Long lingering shots of branches blowing in the wind. Naturalistic dialogue that serves no plot. A guy makes some soup and wanders around the city chatting to friends and strangers. He meets a scientist studying moss. They walk together in a forest looking at moss. We look at moss. She sits to remove a rock from her boot and he helps her to her feet. A hint of a spark of connection and that’s where this leaves us, not wanting more, happy for it to stop right there. Perfect movie – does exactly what it needs to do – any more would be less – any less would be not enough.
Am I a little too fond of these plotless still life movies? Maybe so. But I have some Kiyoshi Kurosawa flicks queued up to shake things up a bit.