Original subtitles

Testing, testing, testing.

Are your earphones working?

RADIANCE

This is a test to check

that the earphones which you are about to use

are working correctly.

The light turns green. An employee yawns.

A truck enters the bus lane.

A man carrying a stepladder crosses at the light.

A man in a hurry checks his watch.

Passengers wait for their bus, directed by an employee.

A man joins the bus line.

A bus stops and passengers get off.

A group of schoolchildren crosses the road.

The girls scold the boisterous boys for not raising their hands.

Middle-aged women and employees

look tired of waiting for their bus.

A frowning man waits for a cab.

A woman in sunglasses gives someone directions.

The station. A sign for Nanto Bank.

A bus stop. A cab stand.

Pedestrians wait at the light.

Others go to work or school.

An employee looks around, mobile in hand.

An impatient driver.

An early autumn morning. Through some trees,

a calm sea.

A house with a tiled roof.

A motorboat moves along the shore.

Juzo's house.

From the veranda, we can see a large tree in the garden.

Juzo, a man with salt-and-pepper hair and whiskers,

is folding clean laundry.

Are you feeling nice and calm, Tokie?

Tokie, black hair falling on her shoulders, wearing make-up,

gazes out across the veranda.

I'm bored.

Tokie looks at Juzo coldly,

then her features soften.

Have you...

lived here long?

Juzo stops what he's doing to look tenderly at Tokie.

Excuse me.

Coming!

Juzo looks at Tokie from behind.

He's alone in a room of about eight tatami.

Juzo's flashback. The sea.

A sand sculpture on the beach.

Juzo and Tokie are sitting on the veranda.

Juzo drinks from his glass of red wine.

You've already told me that, haven't you?

He puts his glass down.

Yes, you've already told me.

Do you remember?

Tokie stares into the distance.

Her expression is impassive.

You're lucky.

You don't remember anything.

Whereas I--

I'm cold.

Tokie shivers.

He taps her cheek.

Tokie stretches her arm up.

Juzo raises his eyes

to look at the mackerel sky.

Okay, we'll stop there for now.

Any comments so far, Masako?

Yes.

Just a moment, my head is still in the mackerel sky!

Back down to Earth now!

Can I begin, then?

Yes, we'll go around the room.

It's about Tokie.

Maybe this is nitpicking,

but I'd prefer "dark hair" to "black hair."

It sounds nicer.

"Dark hair," fine.

And, on the beach...

I couldn't quite catch

what you described there.

- "Sand sculpture," wasn't it? - That's right.

The words "sand sculpture"

aren't something you hear every day.

Or at least that's my feeling.

It's a sculpture of a woman, made of sand.

That's what we see.

But it could have been anything.

Even an elephant!

I'd rather you explained what sort of sculpture it is.

So I can picture it more easily.

So it's fairly large?

I'd say it's about a foot tall.

It's of a naked woman, sitting cross-legged,

with her elbow resting on one knee.

She's looking towards us while pushing a lock of hair into place.

But when you used that unfamiliar expression,

my imagination stopped working.

I'll think about that. Sorry.

The sea.

Behind thick clouds, a pale sun is visible.

A sea bird wheels around.

Tokie is lying on the beach in an immaculate white dress.

Juzo is lying on top of her.

He runs his hands through Tokie's hair.

He kisses her neck.

Even as we embrace,

I miss you.

He holds her tight, a sad expression on his face.

It's unending.

My love is unending.

Nothing is more beautiful than what disappears

before our eyes.

His beige coat swells and ripples

in the wind.

Seen from behind, his shoulders hunched, Juzo walks in silence.

As if he could see the absent Tokie in the setting sun,

he stares at the horizon.

There's sand on his face.

His eyes mist over.

His face beams, overflowing with the hope of life.

"Behind thick clouds,

a pale sun is visible."

I like that.

- Well... - Yes?

Well...

listening to it all the way through,

I thought you gave us plenty of descriptions.

I felt I was being given a lot, but...

Well, anyway...

When we're in the house,

with the window on the left,

lots of things are described all of a sudden.

It was confusing.

I wondered where the wall was.

You were about to say something.

Right, Ms. Ishida?

Me?

"I felt I was being given a lot, but..."

It wasn't really important.

Did you think it was intrusive?

I wouldn't say "intrusive," but...

having all those descriptions

is undeniably very helpful,

but if all the gaps are filled with words,

it can be a bit too much.

For example:

"As if he could see the absent Tokie..."

Or:

"Overflowing with the hope of life."

Maybe?

Aren't those subjective feelings?

No.

Frankly,

it just gets in the way.

There's no need to be so blunt.

I wrote it that way...

for all of you.

That's why it's intrusive.

Mr. Nakamori is a bit different from the rest of you.

He does have partial sight, so...

I understand.

Before the next session,

I'll try to fix--

I'll try to fix the intrusive elements.

I'll do my best not to upset you, Mr. Nakamori.

Thank you.

A beautiful day.

You should think about what Mr. Nakamori said.

Take it seriously.

Many blind people feel grateful for our work,

so they don't speak their mind freely.

Through a film,

you connect with other people's lives.

Interpreting other lives

helps me live.

It gives me hope.

Maybe audio description

is a way

to connect to those who aren't able to see films.

To work in audio description,

you have to understand their capacity to imagine.

The visually impaired

have exceptional powers of imagination.

Yes.

"A sand statue--

a sand statue

of a woman--

a naked woman...

A sand statue of a woman."

Let's go to the sea together.

"Tokie gazes seductively at Kida and kisses Juzo's injured finger.

Juzo faces Kida across the Go board."

Have you ever thought about committing suicide, Mr. Kida?

As for me,

I should have died a long time ago.

Taking Tokie with me.

Tokie, where are you going?

I'm going home.

I have to go.

You know very well you live here with me.

- You live here! - No!

Let's go in.

No! Don't touch me!

Misako, are you coming home this weekend?

I'd love to see you. Mom.

Aki?

Misako!

How are you?

- What's that? - Persimmons.

- I got them on the way. - The first of the season.

Thank you.

What a lovely young woman you are. Nothing like my daughter!

How has she been lately?

She's fine most of the time,

but now and then she loses the plot.

She's completely forgotten that your father disappeared.

That makes things a bit tricky.

Thanks for looking after her.

I do the best I can.

Thank you.

Don't worry about it!

Still...

maybe you should start thinking

about finding a nursing home for her.

Are you happy, Mom?

If you're happy, then I am.

There are so many different sounds here.

When I close my eyes...

I can hear them even better.

Dad's backpack...

can I still keep it?

7,223 yen in cash.

A movie ticket.

A supermarket receipt.

A bento for 396 yen,

a drink for 97 yen,

and a cup of coffee for 64 yen.

The Shinohara osteopathy clinic. A phone card.

A restaurant points card.

I know all these things by heart.

All the things Dad left behind.

Call Ikeda, head of web development.

Calling Ikeda, head of web development.

Hello, this is Ikeda.

Hello, it's Nakamori.

You're still there, good.

I was wondering about the problem with the CPU board

from the other day.

It's a good thing you spotted that so early.

We'll get the test results in the morning.

Oh, right, tomorrow morning.

- Actually, Mr. Nakamori... - Yes?

it's nine o'clock in the morning.

What?

It's not evening?

Sorry, I thought it was late in the evening.

Working all night again?

You're amazing!

I wish I could concentrate like you.

When do you sleep?

I'll be in touch, then.

Fine, I look forward to hearing from you.

Yes.

It's a fine day, isn't it?

No, it isn't a fine day.

To: Mr. Masaya Nakamori

Hi, how are you? Come by if you can.

From: Ms. Ai Nishihara

"Nothing is more beautiful than what disappears

before our eyes."

"My love is unending."

- I'm taking a photo. - A photo?

Look here, look this way.

Are you ready?

Where are you going?

Are there two of you?

He was quite a famous photographer.

He doesn't like talking about it.

"The photographer

is like a hunter

whose prey is time.

How small I am,

facing the immensity of the world.

I shall continue to confront it while holding my breath."

His words.

His grandfather was a photographer too.

Yes, apparently.

Tomoko.

Can I borrow this book?

Yes, of course.

Thanks.

It's yours.

No.

In exchange, I have a favor to ask you.

Will you?

Hello.

The 23rd? Yes.

All right, the 23rd at the studio.

Understood. Thank you very much.

Goodbye.

What was that about?

I've got an appointment at last.

- Really? - Yes.

That's great.

A director rarely accepts face-to-face meetings.

Did you back up my request?

I didn't do anything.

What's your favor, then?

Hello.

It's Misako Ozaki.

From White Light.

I've brought you a magnifier.

Thanks.

It's a bit of a mess,

but I can make some tea.

Please.

Beautiful.

Come in.

Don't move. I'll take care of it.

Are you all right?

Sorry to bother you like this.

You've accidentally thrown this away.

An invitation to a wedding.

Leave it.

This is a nice hotel.

Disabled friendly.

That's not the point.

You're not cut out for this work.

You're really not.

Is that what you think?

I told you I didn't need it.

- That felt good. - What did you do?

Nothing.

What?

You did something.

What are you doing?

How do you know which is which?

Don't touch them!

What's your favorite animal?

Choose from these:

pig, tiger,

elephant, giraffe, bear, rabbit, chick, panda.

- Chick. - Chick?

Yes. Why?

Give me your left hand.

The one with the stickers is the salt.

What do you think?

Understood.

But...

I'll put the salt back at the end of the rack,

in its place.

That's beautiful.

The room is lit by the rays of the setting sun.

I was saying how beautiful it is.

I rented a flat...

with as much sunlight as possible.

The light of the setting sun poured into Nakamori's room.

Throughout the room,

the light was scattered by a prism.

Misako held her hand up to the light.

The light from the prism landed on the palm of her hand.

What do you think?

Not bad.

Beautiful.

When I lower my head,

you think I can't see, don't you?

Yes.

I can actually see better like this.

In fact...

when I raise my head,

I can't see at all.

I didn't realize.

That invitation...

it's from my wife.

My ex-wife.

She's getting remarried.

Hey.

Eat your noodles.

The light change from yellow to red.

She crosses the pedestrian crossing.

She steps on the white stripes only.

Misako walks on the tactile paving.

It's scary.

It's really difficult.

That's a relief.

- A problem? - No.

You directed the film and played the lead role.

Yes.

Would you say that Juzo represents your inner self?

Well...

it's not that simple,

but that's true to some extent.

In that case,

what do you have in common with the character?

He's an old man, like me.

Do you have any comments to make about the final scene?

To tell you the truth...

I was wondering how you'd described that scene.

"His face beams,

overflowing with the hope of life."

Is that wrong?

No.

It's not that it's wrong.

Juzo

could die at any time.

He's an old man.

You see?

Sometimes people die

when they would rather live.

And sometimes they must live on

even though they would rather die.

That's what it means to be human.

It's funny...

When you get to my age,

the boundary between life and death

becomes increasingly blurred.

For that final scene...

How can I put it?

Juzo would have preferred to die.

But could he, at that moment,

be in touch with something that transcends the will to live or die?

That seems too abstract.

I want cinema to convey a more tangible feeling of hope.

It's time, sir.

Sorry, it's time.

Ms. Ozaki,

it was a pleasure.

If Juzo can embody hope for you,

then I'm delighted.

Bye-bye.

- It's starting to rain. - It's pouring down!

A sand dune.

Wrapped up in his coat, Juzo climbs in silence.

It's unending.

My love is unending.

Seen from behind, his shoulders hunched, Juzo walks in silence.

The dazzling light of the setting sun shines over his shoulder.

At the top of the dune, Juzo stops.

He stares at the sky, perfectly motionless.

Compared to last time,

I find that, overall, it's slimmer and clearer.

As there's more space now,

there's more room

for suspense and emotions.

I think it's much improved.

I'm glad.

The description suits the film now.

Yes, it's pleasant to listen to.

It is.

I think...

that this version...

Yes?

...is terrible for people who don't know the film.

Terrible?

For the opening scene,

in Juzo's workshop...

you've pared down the commentary so much

that now

it's impossible to imagine the space.

It could be that over these sessions,

we've become too familiar with the film.

Maybe I've pared it down too much.

I understand. I'll modify that opening scene.

May I say something?

Misako,

after watching the entire film...

Yes?

...what were the emotions that you identified

when writing your description?

What emotions?

The emotions that are present all through the film.

The emotions that flow from the film.

What do you think they are?

For me,

Mr. Kitabayashi's film

is to a large extent a projection of himself.

So it's a sort of inner thing...

How can I put it?

It's hard to put it in one word.

But that's the sort of thing

I hope I've expressed in my description.

Let me tell you what we, or rather I,

felt about your work.

There's a certain weight, a certain gravity, to this film.

And you destroyed that.

Listening to your description all the way through,

I felt regret that you were unable to reproduce

the beauty and sadness of things that perish.

Or the difficulty of letting go of what we lose forever.

Those things give this film its weight and gravity.

That's what I felt.

Please try to imagine how, when we watch a film,

it's not just about sitting in front of a screen.

Our way of enjoying a film

is to immerse ourselves in a much bigger world.

It's as if there was a parallel world

that you gradually become a part of.

That's it!

As if you were already part of it without knowing.

Without knowing it, I'm already in it.

I breathe the same air, I hear the same sounds,

and I experience the same sensations as I watch the film.

Misako, cinema is part

of an immense world.

So...

to have this immense world

limited by the shackles of words

is a crying shame.

Also...

in the last scene,

after the sunset,

you decided not to say anything?

I gave it a lot of thought.

But for that last scene,

I preferred to leave it to the audience

to form their own opinion.

I was worried that the audio description could influence them in the wrong way.

So you run away from it?

I'm not running away.

It's just...

I wanted to be less subjective.

Really?

I didn't feel anything.

That's a problem with your imagination.

I always pay close attention,

I watch all your faces,

looking for your reactions.

But your face is always impassive.

I don't think

it has anything to do with blindness,

- it's just a lack of imagination. - Misako!

Mr. Nakamori.

Mr. Nakamori!

Are you running away?

We'll stop here for today.

See you next time.

Thank you.

Misako, you can go home.

I'll take over this project.

Misako,

which one of you really lacks imagination?

Don't go.

Nakamori.

Over here.

Nakamori's here.

- Hi. - It's been a while.

That's for sure.

The last time was over six months ago.

Yeah, must be.

We got together not so long ago.

The two of you?

Yeah, a party after a job.

Order a drink.

- What are you drinking? - Beer.

- Beer for me, then. - Excuse me.

Three beers, please.

So what's new?

I'm mostly doing glamour shots.

Nice!

- Pretty girls. - Not bad!

Here's the beer.

Thanks.

Cheers.

Are you coming back from a shoot?

Yeah.

I got back from Okinawa last night.

Really?

A glamour shoot.

You're doing that too?

No choice.

Yeah, right.

I'm not a Nakamori!

Stop it!

By the way...

Here.

Wow, Radiance !

I finally got to do the cover.

The cover of Radiance ? Impressive!

It's the "fairy in the forest" look.

Describe the photo to me, so I can visualize it.

- Visualize it? - Yes.

The image is mostly...

green.

It's just a girl in the middle of a forest.

But...

the character,

the product, the landscape,

the light, the shade, the wind,

they're all perfectly balanced.

I think that...

I've captured that moment

when all those things become one.

You've done it, you've become a star!

What about you, Nakamori? How are your eyes?

There's no change.

You don't take pictures anymore?

I can't, can I?

And is it...

incurable?

Yes.

But science is always making progress.

I don't know.

Really?

Doesn't it drive you crazy?

Not really.

I can't imagine.

You're tough.

What are you doing here?

Give it back.

Give it back, I said!

What are you talking about?

Give what back?

My camera.

Give me back my camera.

I don't know where it is.

This is my heart.

Even if I can no longer use it...

it's my heart.

Stop it.

Just stop it, will you?

Mr. Nakamori.

It's Misako.

What happened?

I can't see.

Here we are, then.

Your...

face.

Could I touch it?

Mr. Nakamori.

That picture...

the one in the countryside...

with the setting sun...

Could you take me there?

To that place?

Please.

All right.

Are you all right?

I'm all right.

I don't want to forget.

Not for a second.

I want to go on seeing.

Forever.

I miss you.

Even as we embrace,

I miss you.

It's unending.

My love is unending.

Sculpt me in sand.

In sand.

Nothing is more beautiful than what disappears

before our eyes.

Masaya Nakamori

He stares at the sky,

perfectly motionless.

The dazzling light

of the setting sun...

Tomorrow,

take me to the place

of the setting sun

Voicemail.

Hello, Ikeda speaking. It's about the latest instructions.

Have you read them yet?

I'd like your opinion on a few things.

Call me when you get this message, please.

Thanks a lot. Bye.

Chinatsu here.

What's new?

I'd like to have a word with you

about the preview showing of the film.

I'll call you again. Bye.

Hi there. What the hell's going on?

You're impossible to get a hold of.

I hope you're alive, at least!

Messages.

One new message.

Misako Ozaki.

Here it is.

I knew I could never catch it,

but I used to love running after the setting sun.

I wished there was some way to reach that blinding light.

I'd run after it

until it disappeared.

Me too.

I did the same thing.

A long time ago.

The creaking of your heart...

I sometimes hear it.

Your heart...

I hear it creaking.

I, too,

was angry when I saw things

that I didn't want to see.

Why?

Why?

It's ready for the last read-through.

Yes.

You've done well. Especially for such a profound film.

Can I...

make a small change to the last scene?

I can't quite find the right words.

We'll see what the monitors say, then we'll decide.

Yes.

What is it?

Having to tear yourself away from what--

Having to tear yourself away from what you most care about

is unbearable.

Mr. Nakamori?

Walk straight ahead.

Run after.

Never reach.

Cold railings.

Vibrations running through the body.

Fear.

I'm on my way

- Where's Mom? - Misako!

Misako!

Where's Mom?

Misako.

When I came this morning, she was already gone.

She didn't eat last night's dinner.

Maybe

she's been gone since last night.

The whole village is out there looking for her.

Misako!

Daddy!

There's a big mountain over there.

Dad's tree.

Shall we take a picture so we don't forget it?

We mustn't forget.

Where does the sun go when it sets?

Mom.

Mom!

Misako.

You've come home.

It's starting to get cold.

Mom.

But...

what are you doing?

What I'm doing?

I'm waiting for your father to come home.

Once the sun

has gone down behind that mountain,

your father

will be home.

These clouds look like smoke.

They're scary.

Shall we go back?

This is my last picture. Please take it.

Testing, testing, testing.

Panoramic view of Lake Hamana.

There's a low-hanging sky.

The ridge of mountains across the lake is blurred.

Through a thicket of trees, the lake is below.

The tiled roof of a traditional Japanese house appears.

The window giving on to the garden is wide open.

On the lake, a white motorboat approaches the shore,

slowing down.

The interior of the house is unlit.

Through the window, the cloudy sky is visible.

There's an arrangement of red spider lilies in the alcove.

Juzo stops what he's doing and looks at Tokie.

Do you remember?

You're lucky.

You don't remember anything.

Whereas I--

I'm cold.

Juzo takes a pale orange and white scarf.

He starts to tighten it around Tokie's neck.

Tokie turns to Juzo, who brings his face closer to hers.

A tear rolls down her cheek.

I miss you.

Juzo puts his hands around Tokie's throat.

He caresses Tokie's hair and cheek with a distraught look.

Even as we embrace...

He kisses her neck. Tokie doesn't resist.

Her eyes are empty.

...I miss you.

Juzo runs his hands through Tokie's hair.

It's unending.

My love is unending.

Sculpt me in sand.

In sand.

The waves crash on the beach with white spume.

Like a veil,

grey clouds cloak the pale sun.

Juzo raises his hand, holding the scarf,

as the waves crash around his feet.

Spray is flung up by the heaving waves.

The scarf flies away,

disappearing into the waves.

Nothing is more beautiful than what disappears

before our eyes.

Face, shoulder, then body-- the sand statue of the woman collapses.

It disappears without leaving a trace.

With short steps, Juzo climbs the dune.

His beige coat swells and ripples in the wind.

Seen from behind, his shoulders hunched,

Juzo walks in silence.

The dazzling light of the setting sun

shines over his shoulder.

Mr. Nakamori!

- I'm coming! - Wait!

I'm fine.

No need to run after me.

Or look for me.

I'll...

I'll come to you.

Wait for me there.

At the top of the dune, Juzo stops.

He stares at the sky,

perfectly motionless.

Beyond Juzo's gaze,

there is

radiance.

RADIANCE