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ALONG THE SEA

UMIBE NO KANOJOTACHI

By Akio FUJIMOTO

E.X.N K.K. - as PROD

Drama - Completed 2020

A Female Vietnamese laborer runs away from her workplace for an illegal job. She soon discovers her pregnancy and is forced to choose between her child's birth or continuing her work in Japan.

Festivals
& Awards

San Sebastian 2020
New Directors Section
Cairo IFF 2020
International Panorama, Award for Best Film dealing with Human Trafficking Issues
TAMA CINEMA FORUM awards 2020
Emerging Director Award
Journalism Award 2020
Special Journalism Award
Nippon Connection Film Festival 2020
Nippon Vision Jury Award
Oshima Nagisa Award 2021
Kaneto Shindo Award 2021
Gold Prize
the Japanese Movie Critics Award 2021
Best New director
See all
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    • Year of production
    • 2020
    • Genres
    • Drama
    • Countries
    • JAPAN, VIETNAM
    • Languages
    • VIETNAMESE, JAPANESE
    • Duration
    • 88 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Akio FUJIMOTO
    • Writer(s)
    • Akio FUJIMOTO
    • Producer(s)
    • Kazutaka WATANABE (E.X.N K.K.)
    • Synopsis
    • STORY

      A group of Vietnamese girls; AN, NHU, and PHUONG, in their early 20's, run away from their jobs as technical trainees. AN contacts a broker- DAN, a middle-aged Vietnamese man. He introduces them to a fisherman for work and a shed to stay for free. Traveling by train and ferry, they arrive to the snowy landscape of Northern Japan. PHUONG’s parents keep urging her to send them money, she tells her parents they have to wait. In spite of illegal working conditions, the three feel relieved as they finally are about to receive more money than they had before.

      After the first day of work, PHUONG suffers a serious stomach ache and throws up. The next day, PHUONG’s pain continues and drops a package filled with fish and gets told off by the fisherman. AN and NHU take PHUONG to the hospital, there the receptionist tells them they can't accept any patients without an ID card. PHUONG’s parents continue calling, the stress builds and PHUONG confesses to AN and NHU that her period is missing.
      At the shed, PHUONG takes a pregnancy test and finds out she's pregnant. PHUONG tells them that she doesn’t know where her boyfriend is. AN recommends PHUONG to give up on her child while NHU's against it. PHUONG sends a voice message on her cell phone.

      At work, PHUONG asks a Vietnamese colleague how to get a fake ID card. PHUONG decides to spend the money she was going to send to her parents, to buy one.
      PHUONG argues with AN and NHU, and heads to the hospital. On the way, she gets the fake ID from a Vietnamese man. PHUONG gets lost in the snow holding her cell phone for navigation. At the hospital, the doctor says there is no problem with her child and explains the baby is healthy. Phuong is strongly touched by the ultrasound image. The doctor tells PHUONG the costs to deliver a child at the hospital and schedules the next steps.

      Walking back to the shed, PHUONG calls her boyfriend again, there's no answer. DAN is waiting at the entrance and asks her to get into the car. DAN reminds her of her goal when coming to Japan, how impossible it is to have a child while working illegally, and how she puts everyone in danger. DAN then gives Phuong a package of abortion pills. PHUONG walks by the sea as her belly strongly aches.

      At the shed, AN and NHU are eating soup. With no conversation, PHUONG sits down and eats the soup, goes back to her bed, takes the pills, and lies down closing her eyes, in the lapping sound of the ocean waves.
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