The Day, the Summer (2010) Online

"The Day, The Summer" is a simple and sweet "day in the life" type story from writer/director Retsu Motoyoshi. It follows a quiet young woman named Nao as she goes to find an old friend. Nao is a skilled weaver who seems to enjoy her work, while her friend Mayu is a pianist who seems to have lost herself in an antiques shop. Nao gives Mayu some sheet music as a birthday present, a possible chance for Mayu to reconnect with her passion. The short is deliberately slowly paced which really allows for the script and the actors to breathe. This gives the film a naturalistic feeling complimented by quiet looks and moments between friends, while also featuring observant details for Nao's craft. Motoyoshi understates these little moments well; the best and most affecting being when Mayu plays the beautiful piano piece that Nao gave her, to her own surprise. The film benefits from being shot on location in Japan and features some very nice cinematography. Overall, "The Day, The Summer" is a pleasingly enjoyable short film that takes you for a brief afternoon stroll, and in the end you feel at ease because of it.

Retsu Motoyoshi's "The Day, The Summer" is not the sort of film that shoves every detail in the audience's face, facilitating a lazy viewing experience in which the audience expects the filmmaker to be their waiter, serving every plot point to them on a silver platter. Quite the opposite, "The Day, the Summer" expects the audience to put work into their watching, the film is here if you want to watch it. This turns us from spectators to active participants, creating an involved experience with the movie. Which is quite nice.

Credit is due to the phenomenal lead actress. She doesn't have a lot of lines or any emotional breakdowns, there are no "oscar clips" to be found in this performance. She floats along, with an ethereal, mysterious kind of beauty. We always wonder what she's thinking. And in a good way.