During a recent flight, one of the film options was Yellow Elephant with Aoi Miyazaki and Mukai Osamu. A fan of films that take their time with quotidian yet unique plots, I quickly became absorbed in this low-key film. The idyllic beginning with quietly quirky couple Tsuma (who can apparently hear animals and plants talking) and Muko (a novelist) living in the countryside gradually transforms into a tale of how the past pulls at the characters and how they rescue each other, even when they don’t realize it.

The choice of actors in this film is excellent. Most of the characters I’ve seen Aoi Miyazaki play (starting with ちょっと待って、神様 and Eureka) are rendered believable and relatable by her acting.

I love how flights to Japan can be like mini film festivals.