- Written by the director himself, the story revolves around an “absent” hero: an astronaut lost in the emptiness of space. His absence is spoken about indirectly here, from planet Earth. He was the nation’s son, loved and admired by all. But he’s primarily always on the mind of his little sister Elsa, who’s the real “fully present” heroine in this story. Elsa has lived her life and her childhood by proxy, sustaining herself off the dreams and ambitions of her older brother and hero. He was her point of reference and her daily inspiration. While he floats around, somewhere up there, in the ether, Elsa also drifts, right here on Earth…
- 20-something Aden has no other ambition in life than to become an actor. Most of his time is spent making videos as he applies for roles he’ll never get. After a string of dreadful auditions, where bizarre and humiliating requests are made of him, he comes up with a radical move: he will take full responsibility for finding a role that primarily he, himself, wants to play. This self-assured debut, playful in form and narrative with a fairy-tale edge to it, examines both the commercial work ethic and the concept of identity, which it presents as multilayered and also questionable. At the same time, in its exploration of the given themes, the film doesn’t deny itself a socio-critical tone, nor does it resist the temptation to tease the viewer a little.
- 宫泽弘一(役所广司 饰)是埼玉县行田市百年老字号足袋((配木屐穿的分趾袜))生产厂家“小钩屋”的第四代社长。他每天都兢兢业业地工作,但是,由于足袋属于精细手工制品,他不得不为资金周转而烦恼。就在这时,通过与银行负责人的沟通,宫泽开始考虑拓展新的领域。因为如果不开展新事业,别说是扩大公司规模,就连公司的生存都面临困难。而他准备开展的新项目是活用足袋制造技术开发具有“裸足感”的新式跑鞋。然而,对于一个只有二十几个员工的地方小企业来说,这无疑是一条艰难的道路。新产品的开发缺少资金、人才和研发能力,更将面对世界著名运动品牌的竞争。虽然宫泽几经挫折,但是在家人、员工、客户和银行负责人以及朋友们的帮助下,他逐一克服困难。那么,跑鞋开发能成功吗?“小钩屋”的未来将会如何?