tieman64 Takeshi Kitano took a break from gangster and Yakuza pictures to direct "A Scene By The Sea", a low key flick about a deaf garbage collector who is determined to learn how to surf.It's a simple story, Kitano's camera often stagnant, watching from afar as our hero stares longingly out at the ocean, builds a surfboard and slowly evolves from an inept surfer to a competent sportsman.Because both our hero and his girlfriend are deaf, Kitano opts for a unique aesthetic which tries to convey their disabilities through cinematic means. For example, the film's dialogue is almost completely muted, there are long stretches of silence, no sign language and our heroes are oblivious to anything which occurs outside their field of vision.This is thus a purely visual film, Takeshi forcing us to view the world the way a deaf person would. Throw in a soundtrack by the always brilliant Joe Hisaishi – who famously collaborates with master animator Hayao Miyazaki – and you have a nice little flick which takes the sparseness of a Bresson film and merges it with colourful, picture-book visuals.8/10 – Though cute and at times very atmospheric, this film is a bit too simple, a bit too trite, to warrant repeat viewings.Worth one viewing.

ryuichi_uk I'm a big fan of Takeshi Kitano's work, and I feel this film is his best. Whilst films like Hana-bi, Kids return, and Sonatine may have all the idiosyncratic traits that have made Takeshi so critically acclaimed, they all rely on extremities to convey their message. In the case of 'Ano natsu, ichiban shizukana umi', the director has excelled himself by retaining all the interesting and original traits of his more graphic films, yet managing to tell a story that is just as deep and provocative, only to a more subtle degree.The story tells of a young, deaf, disenchanted garbage-collector who one day finds a ruined surf-board lying amidst some rubbish. This inspires the boy to become a great surfer, and with the help of a young deaf girl, he gradually becomes more skillful as time progresses, their love blossoming during the course of the movie.The camera work is extremely sedate and enveloping, managing to capture the calmness of the sea. The characters do not speak, yet the story never seems to drag at all, with each scene drawing the viewer steadily into this very attractive and insular world that they inhabit. The music, scored by Joe Hisiashi, has a very static, timeless quality to it - a mixture of marimba, synthesisers, piano & string instruments manage to convey the atmosphere of the film exceedingly well, with the main theme song capturing the extremely melancholy feel of the film.This is one of the most beautiful, haunting films you will ever see.

changhee516 This movie, directed by Takeshi Kitano, moves at a measured pace, one that allows the viewers to feel and relate to the situations slowly. On one level, it talks about a mute garbage collector's desire to become a surfer, yet it also deals with unspoken love, silence, and determination. One of the gentlest, most subtle movies I have seen. A simple expression, at times, is worth more than complex ones. Takeshi Kitano understands this.

Darren O'Shaughnessy (darren shan) Slow-moving, poetic outing for Takeshi Kitano, better known as Beat Takeshi. He forsakes the violence of his more popular films and instead delivers a warm, curious story about a deaf mute who develops a love of surfing. The characters are involving, the scenes are beautifully shot, and the score is magical - but for all that, this isn't an entire success, with a thin plot and a sense of pace which errs just a tad too much on the leisurely side. It's a welcome change to mindless shoot-em-ups, and an interesting addition to the Kitano canon, but it's not top-notch.