A Scene at the Sea

Deaf and introvert Shigeru works as a garbage man while his mind is at surfing. He has a very patient girlfriend by his side with which he communicates very little.

Compared to another surf movie say 'Point Break' there are no other similarities than the surf boards. In 'Ano Natsu ...' there is no action, nothing spectacular and no glorification; its a slice of life movie with its humour in the details. The pace is slow, at first it seemed boring, but you'll grow into it quickly and find it rewarding.

The 80s love scene style music by Joe Hisaishi was surprisingly tolerable, its understated anyway.

My favourite Kitano film so far together with 'Dolls'.