Sea of Revival

凪待ち

Directed by: Kazuya Shiraishi
2019 / 125 minutes / Unclassified 15+ (under 15s must be accompanied by an adult)

The chains of addiction are not easily broken

Sea of Revival tells a story of a working class family trying to get by despite their own personal demons. Ikou (Shingo Katori) is a 40-year-old punter who moves to his partner Ayumi’s (Naomi Nishida) coastal hometown in Miyagi with her reticent teenage daughter Minami. The relocation is triggered by Ayumi’s father’s ailing health as a result of stage IV cancer. Just when it seems like the family has gone through enough, a tragedy befalls one of them, and Ikou’s guilt turns his gambling addiction into a never-ending purgatory. The film also stars Lily Franky (Shoplifters) as the ever-obliging family friend Onodera, who is always there to save the day when Ikou falls into the vicious cycle of addiction. Ikou has been given more than enough chances to change his luck, but he can’t seem to turn things around. Is he still deserving of his friend and family’s compassion?