Dogwood Tree

Dogwood Tree (ハナミズキ, 2010) is a Japanese romantic drama streaming on iFILM — watch online this quiet love story inspired by the hit song "Hanamizuki." Director Nobuhiro Doi follows Sae (Yui Aragaki) and Kohei (Toma Ikuta) over ten years: she is studying for Tokyo University entrance exams, he is headed for a life at sea like his father before him.

They meet in their final school year and spend the next decade trying to stay connected across distance, work and the shape their lives take separately. The film is not in a hurry. Long stretches between meetings, time passing faster than the characters seem ready for. Those who find most romantic dramas too rushed will find exactly the pace they are looking for here. Stream Dogwood Tree (2010) online on iFILM.