Village Photobook (2004)

Profile

• Movie: Photo Album of the Village / The Village Album
• Romaji: Mura no shashinshuu
• Japanese: 村の写真集
• Director: Mitsuhiro Mihara
• Assistant Director: Masaharu Take
• Writer: Mitsuhiro Mihara
• Producer: Kazushi Miki
• Cinematographer: Shigeru Honda
• Release Date: April 3, 2004
• Runtime: 111 min.
• Language: Japanese
• Country: Japan

Plot

Hanatani Village in the valley of Tokushima Prefecture is going to be submerged when a dam is constructed. In order to preserve the beauty of the place for future generations, the villagers decide to take photographs of all the families in the village. Kenichi, the only photographer in the village, is put in charge of the project. He calls his son Takashi, an aspiring photographer, to help him with the task. Takashi is puzzled since his father and he are not at all close, but as they visit each family in turn and Takashi sees his father working, Takashi’s feelings towards his father begin to change. However, just as they are coming to the end of their shoot, Kenichi falls ill. Takashi tries to finish the project, but is unable to make the subjects come to life in the way that his father does. Takashi realizes how much Kenichi loves the village and carries him to the place where he will take the last photograph.