The Boat to Heaven

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Movie: The Boat to Heaven
Romaji: Shoro Nagashi
Japanese: 精霊流し
Director: Mitsutoshi Tanaka
Writer: Masashi Sada (novel), Yoshi Yokota
Producer: Ko Otani
Cinematographer: Kozo Shibazaki
Release Date: September 13, 2003
Runtime: 109 min.
Distributor: Nikkatsu
Language: Japanese
Country: Japan

Plot

A young boy, Masahiko Sakurai, grows up in Nagasaki where he sees the clear blue ocean everyday. His mother wants him to be a violinist. To make her dream come true, Masahiko goes to Tokyo to learn the violin, and stays with his aunt, Setsuko, in Kamakura near Tokyo. Satsuko has a stepson named Haruto.

One day Masahiko's mother visits him in Kamajura and he plays the violin for his mother and aunt. His melody fascinates his two "mothers." It is not until later that the he finds out what the two women felt for him.

Time passes. Masahiko is now in college and works part time at an auto repair store. His mother in Nagasaki has passed away and he has lost his passion for the violin many years ago. His aunt, Setsuko, divorces and moves back to Nagasaki. Her decision confuses her stepson, Haruto.

Setsuko opens a jazz bar near the ocean in Nagasaki. Masahiko and Haruto's childhood love, Tokue, confesses to Masahiko that she has feelings for him. However, Masahiko hesitates and is unable to respond. At that time, Haruto, who also feels depressed due to his parents' divorce, sneaks into Tokue's desperate heart.

Feeling lost, Masahiko returns to Nagasaki, where his father tells him that Setsuko has been hospitalized. Gradually he learns the sorrowful secrets of his two "mothers," his mother and his aunt.

Notes

Based on a novel by Masashi Sada.
The title "Shoro nagashi" refers to the floating lanterns / shorobune boats that are used to send off the spirits of the deceased during the Japanese Buddhist custom known as Obon - this custom has evolved into a holiday/festival, especially well known in the Nagasaki area.
Other titles based on the same story:
1. Shoro Nagashi (NHK / 2002)