STORY
２０１７年に横田監督は『遺影、夏空に近く』を発表した。遺影写真を巡るドキュメンタリー。奈良県斑鳩町を舞台に７つの家族が登場した。『遺影、秋空に近く』はその続編となる作品。ただし前後編ではなく独立した作品だ。今回は新たに７つの家族に光が当てられた。ある方は母と営んだ料亭の思い出を語り、ある方は７０代で再婚した両親のことを話し、ある方は父の面影を辿りコスモス畑に立たれる。そこにあるのは亡き人と遺された人のつながりの記録、家族の物語だ。村祭りや稲刈りなど秋の斑鳩が作品を彩る。中でも「御回在（ごかいざい）」はあまり公になることのない伝統行事。今回とても貴重な記録となった。
エンドタイトルに流れるピアノとチェロの音色が深い余韻を残す。
Iei akizora ni chikaku
In 2017, Director Yokota released “Iei natsuzora ni chikaku”, which is a documentary film of portraits of deceased people. It was filmed in Ikaruga in Nara, and 7 families appeared in it. “Iei akizora ni chikaku” is the sequel to “Iei natsuzora ni chikaku”, but they are independent films. “Iei akizora ni chikaku” sheds light on another 7 families. A man reminisces about his Japanese restaurant that he ran with his mother. Another man talks about his parents who got remarried in their 70s. A woman stands in a field of cosmos chasing a vision of her father. We can see each family story, the record of the relationships between the deceased and the living people. Ikaruga’s scene in autumn such as a village festival or harvesting brights up the film. Among them, “Gokaizai” is a traditional event that is not often made public. This film includes such a valuable record.
The sound of the piano and the violin playing during the end credits leaves a lasting impression.
The sound of the piano and the violin playing during the end credits leaves a lasting impression.
