Masayume

After her mother’s death, the film’s director, Nao Yoshigai, lost her mental and physical balance. To find it again, she sought refuge and peace in a Zen temple, where she could work through the grief that had completely overwhelmed and paralyzed her, both physically and mentally. Through Zen, she reexamines “eating,” “sleeping,” and “breathing,” viewing her body and mind as a “bag of flesh.” Inspired by Michizo Noguchi’s words, she sees the body as a skin bag of fluid—free to expand and contract—where bones, organs, and the brain float.

The film had its world premiere at this year’s Berlinale, and its title “Masayume” is a Japanese word meaning that what we see in a dream happens in real life. This notion guides this hybrid documentary film – it is a dreamlike mosaic of performances, family photographs, and animation that contemplates the loss of a loved one and the path to healing.