Still the Water

Still the Water (2014) is Naomi Kawase's Japanese drama, available to watch online on iFILM. It unfolds on the subtropical island of Amami, where mangroves meet a warm sea that seems to breathe with a will of its own.

Teenagers Kaito and Kyoko are growing up with little to lean on. Kaito aches over the father who left for Tokyo soon after he was born; Kyoko is learning to face the fact that her mother is dying. When a dead body washes up one night, the discovery pushes both of them to weigh love, mortality and what it means to belong. Kawase films rhythm rather than plot — tides, wind, rustling leaves, the quiet rituals of island life.

The film screened in competition at Cannes and rests on its sensual cinematography and long, patient takes. It rewards anyone drawn to slow, meditative Asian cinema about nature and coming of age, not viewers after a brisk story. Stream Still the Water (2014) online on iFILM.