When a bus is violently hijacked in a small Japanese town, only three people survive: the guilt wracked driver Makoto Sawai, and young brother and sister, Naoki and Kozue Tamura. Two years on, each of them, still traumatised by their ordeal, struggles to re-engage with life. But then one day Makoto impulsively buys a bus and sets off with Kozue and Naoki on a long journey across Japan. Their journey becomes a cathartic odyssey of spiritual self-discovery.
Set mainly in rural Japan, it is the story of the three survivor's attempted return to normal life. The children have lost their parents and are alone in a big house. They do not speak. Makoto, the bus driver, moves in with them, acting as their parents, or simply as someone who can understand their pain and confusion. The children appear to communicate telepathically. Meanwhile, a series of murders has begun and the prime suspect is the bus driver. These numerous unfortunate events bring the three, along with the orphans' cousin, Akihiko, back together, forming a family and working towards reconciliation from the shared hijacking experience.
This beautifully shot drama, much of which is sepia-toned with long takes and slow tracking shots, is a serene and resonant meditation on the psychological scars wrought upon the victims of terror and violence, and of the courage and inner strength they must find to survive.
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