秋日慢板

A catholic nun, played by the musician Rei Shibakusa, gets confused around the age of forty about her emotions and sexuality, as a result of her encounters with three very different men. Maker of the energetic The Woman Who Is Beating the Earth this time chose a more thoughtful style. The protagonist is a Catholic nun, Sister Maria. The actress Shibakusa Rei plays the role of the nun more than convincingly. Shibakusa is not really a professional actress, even though she previously played in films by Inoue Tsuki. She was originally a musician. When the nun plays organ in the church, that is also the actress herself playing, just as later in the film on the piano. Sister Maria had come to terms with her life as a nun, until she became rather confused at about the age of forty and discovered her emotions and sexuality after all. It is autumn and in quick succession she meets three different men. The first man only really annoys her, but that annoyance seems to release something in her. An attractive dancer then asks her to play the piano accompaniment during his ballet lessons. When he asks her to play with more emotion, the next shell is taken from her cocoon. And then there is a Christ-like gardener who has given up faith in people. Step by step, the nun allows more and more emotions into her life. The film maker also follows her in that step by step. Last year, she showed in Rotterdam the energetic The Woman Who Is Beating the Earth (which earned her at Yubari the prize money with which she was able to make this film), but for this story she chose a different and more thoughtful style, that better suits the hidden emotions. —Rotterdam