The Tale Of Princess Kaguya
Filmfest 2014

Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo, a tiny girl grows into an exquisite young lady raised by an old bamboo cutter and his wife. From the countryside to the grand capital city, even unseen she enthralls all who encounter her. But ultimately she must face her fate, punishment for her crime.
"Her 'crime' though, has little to do with plot, everything to do with his heroine’s emotional and spiritual journey – and the way it ends. The climax is a haunting, wrenching evocation of 'mono no aware' – or as it is literally translated, the pathos of things. The basis of Japanese aesthetics since time immemorial, 'mono no aware' is hard to define, but The Tale of Princess Kaguya brilliantly illuminates it with images of life at its transient loveliest, of parting in its terrible finality. There is a deep wisdom in this film, but a deep sadness too."
Mark Schilling, The Japan Times