FILM LIST

When a fading family craft meets a young woman's quiet resolve, a fragile future begins to take shape

Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture. Miyako Aoki lives with her father in a family struggling to hold itself together after years of hardship and separation. Having just graduated from high school, she works at a supermarket while quietly supporting her father, a Tsugaru lacquerware craftsman, whose will to continue the family tradition is fading as the industry declines.

With her mother gone and her older brother pursuing an independent life, Miyako finds herself standing at a crossroads. Though she cannot yet voice her desire to carry on the family craft, she gradually becomes drawn to Tsugaru-nuri—the intricate lacquer art passed down through generations. As she confronts both her fractured family and the demanding discipline of the craft, she begins to take on a challenge that could reshape her future.
 

Tsugaru-nuri is a traditional Japanese lacquer technique built on repetition—layer upon layer of careful application. Sometimes called “baka-nuri” (“foolish coating”) for its painstaking process, it embodies patience, dedication, and the beauty of accumulation. Through this craft, the film gently explores inheritance, resilience, and the meaning of continuing what others leave behind.