Mipo O delivers a tragic tale of love by the sea in this valiant but lacklustre drama that premiered at the 2015 Raindance Film Festival.

Tatsuo (Gô Ayano), the drifter, is embroiled in a story of trauma and misplaced love amongst new friends armed with a carefree outlook on life. O’s film pushes the limits of casual sexual abuse, but the character’s struggle to create any kind of empathy or audience attachment causes the film to drift into apathy and boredom.

TLSOT is a grim but emotional journey displaying the mediocrity of everyday Japanese life, but it never actually seems to go anywhere.

The Light Shines Only There tries to tell an emotional tale about relationships and ties between families and strangers, but ultimately falls flat and ends up drifting emotionlessly away.

RATING: 2/5

INFORMATION

CAST: Gô Ayano, Chizuru Ikewaki, Masaki Suda, Kazuya Takahashi

DIRECTOR: Mipo O

WRITER: Ryo Takada

SYNOPSIS: Two troubled souls living on the fringes of a port town fall in love, but their trials are far from over.