A film by Élise Girard

• 2023
• France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan
• 95 minutes
• VO french

Japan, nowadays. Sidonie Perceval, an established French writer, is mourning her deceased husband. Invited to Japan for the reedition of her first book, she is welcomed by her local editor who takes her to Kyoto, the city of shrines and temples. As they travel together through the Japanese spring blossoms, she slowly opens up to him. But the ghost of her husband follows Sidonie: she will have to finally let go of the past to let herself love again.

Director’s biography

Élise started out as a press attaché for Cinémas Action before becoming a director. Her first two films were documentaries: one on the Cinémas Action and the other on Roger Diamantis, founder of the Saint André des Arts: Seuls sont les indomptés, l’aventure des cinémas Action (2003) and Roger Diamantis ou la vraie vie (2005). Her first feature, Belleville Tokyo (2011), was acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, as was Strange Birds (2016), presented at the Berlinale Forum in 2017. For Sidonie in Japan, she benefited from the French Institute’s Louis Lumière grant, which enabled her to reside in Kyoto in 2017.