Trippy, metaphysical sci-fi dream AUGUST IN THE WATER (1995)

“Trippy, metaphysical, an otherworldly gem…a hallucinatory analysis of coming-of-age malaise” – DAZED

An indescribable mix of teen melodrama, New Age metaphysics, dreamy sci-fi, and creeping J-horror, Gakuryū Ishii’s AUGUST IN THE WATER is truly a film unlike any other. Moving from the microscale insularity of teen romance and friendship to the eternal enigmas of the cosmos, AUGUST IN THE WATER juxtaposes mysterious phenomena—outbursts of supernovae, celestial misalignments and twin meteorites with ancient glyphs—with the arrival of transfer student Izumi (Rena Komine). A high dive prodigy, the mysterious girl becomes entangled with the pensive Mao (Shinsuke Aoki), but a diving accident leaves her changed. Beset by strange events—drought, a blistering heat wave and a disease that turns people to stone—Mao joins the convalescing Izumi, now awakened to a heightened consciousness, to search for the source of this cosmic disequilibrium. An evocative daydream infused with the enigma of existence, Ishii’s mid-1990s masterwork is a primordial rite of passage, awash in cloudburst and myth.

Come out before the film for a pre-show of Japanese animated sci-fi shorts at 4:30 pm.

This film is screening as part of Arkadin’s POOL PARTY series, featuring movies that allow you to beat the summer heat (vicariously) by taking a dip in the cool waters of a swimming pool, even as mystery, murder and heartbreak lurk on the horizon…

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• This Sunday, 29th June, 04:00 pm, PONYBOI (2024) — “a first for intersex representation onscreen” in Southhampton
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• Next Saturday, 5th July, 09:00 pm, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (1997) with Backlot Bring-Your-Own-Pool Party in Southhampton

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