The Mourning Forest

A woman in dappled sunlight laying on the ground with her eyes closed.

A young woman and an old woman hold hands while hugging a large tree.

Ten years after becoming the youngest winner of the Caméra d’Or, Naomi Kawase returned to Cannes and claimed the prestigious Grand Prix for The Mourning Forest (Mogari no mori), a beautiful and contemplative portrait of grief.

Machiko (Machiko Ono) is a young nurse who still carries the burden of her young son’s death. Shigeki (Shigeki Uda) is an elderly widower and a resident at the nursing home where Machiko works. After celebrating Shigeki’s birthday, Machiko takes him for a drive in the countryside, but their car breaks down and Shigeki absconds into the nearby forest. Machiko has no choice but to follow, and they become lost in the dense woodlands, before their fates eventually become entwined.

Drawing comparisons to Shohei Imamura (particularly his Palme d’Or winning The Ballad of Narayama) and Terence Malick, Naomi Kawase’s The Mourning Forest is a hauntingly beautiful, symbolically rich masterpiece.

Film website: http://www.kawasenaomi.com/kawase/en.html

In Japanese with English subtitles.