- Life is Journey - is a compilation of four short stories - planned, written, edited, directed, and even acted in part by Seiichi Tanabe. The four stories are entitled, 'Life', 'N', 'Ya' and 'Nowhere'. The characters all yearn to connect with others, while dwelling in their solitude. Unable to live life alone, they are mirror images of ourselves. The recurring theme, according to Tanabe, is 'Life is one long road trip'. Accidental encounters and reluctant partings overlap joy and pain on a daily basis - yet no two days are alike. 'Life' - A woman walks. While she walks, she sees the man she will eventually meet in the future - as a young child. In time, the two meet and their footsteps become one. She walks through countless events and timeless landscapes, continually, ceaselessly. And in the shift of time, the woman discovers something... 'N' - A man and a woman sit at a coffee shop. He chats cheerfully, procrastinating the task at hand. She is dead silent. Reluctantly, he begins. The single word that he utters chills the air between them.
'The word I chose - it puts an end to (three years of) our long, long game...'
He walks the town aimlessly. Countless words float by. Foreign words, emotional words, words that have become a part of the air that he breathes. Communication through words - what is it that connects us? Coming face to face with his shortcomings, he is overcome with the desire to play the game again - with her... 'Nowhere' - When she woke up on March 23rd, he was gone. With a map in hand, she ventures into the foreign town. A calendar in a shop reads March 24th.
'What day is it?' she asks the shopkeeper.
'It's March 24th. See?'
The street sign reads, 'March 24th Avenue'. Time and space are intertwined here. She finds him on a hill - searching, too, for the meaning of his existence. Harboring a secret about his birth, he struggles to find himself.
'I'm nowhere', he laments.
The two roam the streets in search for the answers. The 'meaning of life'. Will they find it there? 'Ya' - Heartbroken, she hasn't gotten out of bed in days. Unaware of her anguish, her stomach still rumbles on cue. A girlfriend calls, inviting her out to dinner. Out and about after a long spell, she enjoys the light conversation and cheerful company. Yet, moments of dark introspection engulf her. Sensing her distress, the girlfriend urges her to go with her to 'see something'. They ride their bikes in the night air, to discover.... |
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