Tomoyo (Mei Nagano), an overworked office worker, finds out that her best friend, Mariko (Nao), has committed suicide. Having failed to help her friend,Tomoyo feels powerless and unable to process what has happened. Mariko had suffered years of mistreatment at the hands of her father since childhood, before a relationship with an abusive boyfriend. Tomoyo learns that Mariko’s ashes are at her father’s place and decides to recapture the remains. After stealing Mariko’s ashes, Tomoyo is determined to do anything she can for her friend who was deprived of everything her whole life. Trapped in a whirlwind of memories, she takes the ashes to the beach where Mariko had always dreamed of visiting. This is their first and final journey together—a journey to enable Tomoyo’s broken Mariko be free at last.

Based on an evocative manga by Hirako Waka, distinguished director Yuki Thanada, who excels in the portrayal of female protagonists, sensitively depicts the emotional turmoil of two young women and their trauma. What anchors the film is Nao’s (Eternally Younger Than Those Idiots) superb performance as Mariko, with Nao pushing forth Mariko’s fragility in contrast with Nagano’s intensity as Tomoyo, the friend who has always been by Mariko’s side.

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