Au revoir l'été (ほとりの朔子 / Hotori no Sakuko) (ほとりの朔子)

Produced by KM Sugmo

Written and Directed by Koji Fukada

AU REVOIR UETE

Fumi Nikaido

Mayu Tsuruta

Taiga

Kanji Furutachi

KM Sugmo

T adask“ make

Ena Koshino

Sakuko, this is the stop.

Sunday, 26 August

WOW!

There it is.

Boo...! Hello!

- You're finally here. - Sorry.

- What took you? - I missed the train.

- You could've texted me. - There was no reception,

so I took the next express train.

- What's up? - Just checking my bags.

Is something missing?

- I ate while I was waiting for you. - That's OK.

There's watermelon in the fridge.

- Watermelon. - I mean, what's going on?

Something missing, isn't it?

My Passport.

- I can't find my passport. - What? Are you kidding?

I had it this morning, but I can't seem to find it now.

- Let me have a look. - I know it was there this morning.

Sakuko! You're all grown up!

Has it been that long?

- Want some watermelon? - No, thanks.

Mizuho!

Mizuho, I found it!

Oh, where was it?

On the floor in the hall.

Hey, Ukichi!

- Mikie, good to see you. - What's up?

Just helping out.

He's taking me to the airport.

My sister's still got you driving her around?

Tell me about it. I've had 30 years of this!

Don't put it like that.

It's just once in a while, right?

Let's catch up later.

You were in primary school the last time I saw you.

You saw her in Tokyo that time.

It was when you came to see Toshie's gallery in Ginza.

Wasn't she still in primary school then?

You were in high school, right?

- I think it was my third year. - She had that sailor-suit uniform.

Oh, I remember!

You looked really cute in that uniform, Sakuko.

Our uniforms were so plain that they used to call use school-ghouls.

Can you get the car?

She really likes to boss guys about.

You haven't met, right? This is my niece, Sakuko.

- Hello. - Hello.

This is Ukichi Kameda, an old friend of mine.

- And Mizuho's ex-boyfriend. - Enough about that!

She dumped me.

She's my sister's daughter.

- The other Mikie? - That's right.

- Are you in high school? - No.

She's retaking her university entrance exams.

- Will you be able to study here? - Mum's always going on at me.

I'll be able to concentrate here.

- That's good, then. - I'll go and load the car.

OK.

I've made a note of the days when the rubbish gets collected.

Don't forget to water the plants.

- Where are you going again? - First, Amsterdam.

Then around the Netherlands,

Paris and the Loire.

Are you going to see the castles?

You've been there on research, right?

- The Hague? - Yes, I'm going there.

- I'll e-mail you. - Sure, sounds good.

If there are any phone calls, just take a message for me.

Is your work going OK, though?

- Your pottery. - It's fine.

- You seemed so busy before. - It's OK.

I've got some time before my next exhibition.

I'm coming.

- You can use the bike outside. - Thanks.

See you, Sakuko.

You've been to the Netherlands, too?

I went there on research.

- How long for'? - Two years.

- How come'? - How come what'?

I thought your field was Asia. India or something?

- Indonesia. - Yeah, that's what I thought,

that you just went to places in South East Asia.

- Well, you know what a colony is? - Yeah.

Indonesia used to be colonised by the Netherlands.

- You didn't know that? - I majored in science.

My major was in Area Studies.

Area Studies.

There are a lot of historical documents about Indonesia

that you can only consult there locally.

- Did you bring your swimsuit? - Yeah.

There's a really beautiful beach over that way.

- You know this area? - I used to live here.

- At Mizuho's place? - No, but nearby.

WOW!

I love the sea!

- It's hot! - The sands pretty warm.

- It feels great. - It's nice and smooth.

Our parents got divorced.

It was when I was in my second year of high school.

My mum remarried straight away and we all went to Tokyo.

We became part of a new family.

They had a daughter.

She was in between me and my sister in age.

That was your mother. Did you know that already?

- Yeah, more or less. - When did you find out?

When I was in high school, I think,

but I might have known already.

That figures.

Was it hard with your names?

Your name is the same as my mum's.

It was never really a problem.

What about at school?

We were in the same class once as we were both in the same year.

The teacher just called us Ocean Mikie and Mountain Mikie.

Why's that?

My name is spelt with the character for 'ocean',

and your mum's has the character for 'tree trunk'.

My nickname stuck, but your mum's didn't.

People sometimes write that on New Year cards to my mum.

Really?

Also, our names being the same meant we had to explain why a lot.

That was a little hard.

- Really? - Yeah.

Did you have a nickname?

- I don't really remember... - You've got a nice name.

My friends don't know how to pronounce it.

That means it's unique.

I think I've been here before. I kind of remember it.

We might have come here once with you and your mother.

Just once?

She didn't like the sound of the waves.

Silly, right?

- I like the sound. - I do, too.

I can sort of remember the feeling of the ocean.

- Oh, Sucko! - What?

People called me Sucko when I was younger.

Were they trying to bully you?

Probably.

Why'?

I think they were trying to be bullies,

but it never really bothered me.

They probably gave up on bullying you pretty soon.

They'd say, "Hey, Sucko!" But I'd just answer them.

Mikie!

Oh, Tatsuko.

- Hi. When did you get here? - Just today.

- Are you staying here for a while? - A couple of weeks.

I'll drop by next time.

This is Tatsuko.

- Hi. - Hi, I'm Sakuko.

This is my niece, Sakuko.

Tatsuko is UkichPs daughter.

- You already met him? - He was helping my sister.

They get along really well.

I work right over there. Drop by some time.

- Sure. - I'll send you the address later.

- She seems nice. - She doesn't look like Ukichi.

Monday, 27 August

- Are you applying to music college? - No...

Shouldn't you be studying, then?

Yeah, you're right.

Tuesday, 28 August

Tuesday, 28 August

Hello.

Hello. Is anyone at home?

She's inside.

- Hello. - Mikie, you're here!

- It's been a while! - When did you get here?

- Two days ago. - I had no idea. Is your sister here?

She's on holiday.

- But do come in. - Sorry for the intrusion.

But it's incredible.

- The Mona Lisa? - More than anything, the people.

Like when you turn over a rock and there are barnacles all over it.

- That's a bit graphic! - Sounds gross.

It's like people hovering around a celebrity.

- You can't see the painting. - Well, she is famous.

There's another painting behind the Mona Lisa,

but no one hangs about over there.

It almost made me feel sad.

When were you in Paris?

- Five years ago. - With your husband?

I went with a friend from my art class.

I'm jealous of Mizuho, travelling alone like that.

- You still draw, right? - Yes, every morning.

She has exhibitions in a gallery in town.

Those are for our group.

- She had a show in Ginza. - I drew this one.

- What kind of flower is it? - It's a Miqueliana.