Rent A Scene at the Sea (1991)
3.9 of 5 from 75 ratings
1h 36min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- When deaf garbage man Shigeru (Claude Maki) finds a broken surfboard on one of his runs, it piques his curiosity, even though he has no experience with surfing. So he repairs the board and, with loyal girlfriend Takako (Hiroko Oshima), who also is deaf, he sets out to learn how to ride the waves. He goes through mishaps and the locals mock him. But, with the help of a shop owner who once was a surfing legend, Shigeru may finally have a chance to become one with the sea and the surfing community.
- Actors:
- Claude Maki, Hiroko Ôshima, Sabu Kawahara, Toshizo Fujiwara, Susumu Terajima, Katsuya Koiso, Toshio Matsui, Yasukazu Ishitani, Naomi Kubota, Tsuyoshi Ohwada, Tatsuya Sugimoto, Meijin Serizawa, Tetsu Watanabe, Keiko Kagimoto, Kengakusha Akiyama
- Directors:
- Takeshi Kitano
- Producers:
- Masayuki Mori, Takio Yoshida
- Writers:
- Takeshi Kitano
- Aka:
- Ano Natsu, Ichiban Shizukana Umi
- Studio:
- Second Sight Films Ltd.
- Genres:
- Drama, Romance
- Countries:
- Japan
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 12/09/2016
- Run Time:
- 102 minutes
- Languages:
- Japanese DTS-HD High Resolution 2.0
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- New Audio Commentary by Film Critic Jasper Sharp
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Reviews (2) of A Scene at the Sea
Salt Air, Silent Hearts, and a Battered Surfboard - A Scene at the Sea review by griggs
It’s easy to forget Kitano can do gentle. He’s often associated with that early crime run — Violent Cop, Boiling Point, Sonatine — all long silences and sudden chaos. A Scene by the Sea is the side-step: no guns, no swagger, just salt air and stubborn hope, with a faint melancholy underneath.
The setup is simple. A young deaf bin man finds a battered surfboard and decides — without lessons, without fuss — that he’s going to surf. Then he puts the hours in: repairs, practice, wipe-outs, repeat, inching towards a local contest. His girlfriend, also deaf, is always nearby. She says almost nothing, yet she becomes the emotional centre through small gestures and steady presence, with Joe Hisaishi’s music carrying much of the feeling.
Kitano’s visual style does quiet work: calm, static frames, lots of space, and a refusal to force emotion. One moment that stuck with me is them on the beach, watching the waves and the other surfers like they’re studying a secret language. It’s tender, but slightly detached — like the film keeps you at arm’s length.
It sits nicely alongside Hana-bi and Kikujiro in that “small-scale, big-feelings” corner of his work, and it shares the reflective pauses you get in Sonatine. There is also a link to Brother, for me. There Kitano builds relationships around a communication barrier — there it’s English and Japanese; here it’s deafness — and still makes them feel natural rather than sentimental.
That emotional distance is also why it tops out for me. The training beats can feel repetitive, and the characters stay more like silhouettes than fully opened-up people. Still, I was won over: modest, reflective, and quietly lovely, with a warm, salty aftertaste.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
BITTERSWEET JAPANESE SURFING MOVIE - A Scene at the Sea review by GF
A deaf Janpanese youth finds solace in surfing in this bittersweet tale from Takashi Kitano. It follows the love story between him and his girlfriend, (also deaf), as they are slowl accepted by the other surfers on the beach whom they meet every day. .
The soundtrack is sublime and there are some indelible scenes both funny and moving.
A lovely film all round, whch borrows a device normally used by the Korean Director, Kim Ki Duk, (The Isle, The bow etc), twereby the major characters never utter a word of dialogue, yet dominate the ongoing story.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.