RIVER (2024)

On a crisp winter morning, Mikoto casts a last dreamy glance at the quietly flowing river before getting ready for another workday at the prestigious Fujiya Inn. She’s to attend the guests in their every need: washing their bedlinen, heating their sake, cooking rice or running a bath for them. So, with a determined gait she marches up the stairs and… On a crisp winter morning, servant Mikoto casts a last… Huh? Suddenly she’s back at the quietly flowing river. Kimi, the other servant, rushes towards her; the sake won’t warm up! Two guests enjoying a hotpot are astonished to observe their rice magically getting refilled. And just when another guests was wrapped in a towel he’s back in his bath! On a crisp winter morning… Fujiya Inn got stuck in a time loop. That repeats every two minutes. Now it’s up to Mikoto and the other hosts and guests to find a way to get out of it again…
Yamaguchi’s first feature, BEYOND THE INFINITE TWO MINUTES, began its impressive international festival run right here at the – online – BIFFF, back in 2021. After winning our White Raven and our Film Critics Award, the film went on to grab many other awards at other festivals and became a true cult phenomenon, proving a shoe-string budget can’t hold you back if you have limitless imagination. Needless to say, bigger-budget follow-up RIVER was highly anticipated and we’re happy to confirm that Yamaguchi’s limitless imagination is again firing on all cylinders!