I’m Okiku, 22 years old. I lost my voice, but I found love. Today, I will walk and walk, because I have something I have to tell him.

Despite being from a samurai family, 22-year-old Okiku lives frugally in a tenement house with her father. She has known Chuji for years – every single day, he busily runs around the narrow alleyways, collecting filth from household toilets. One day, Okiku gets her throat slashed and loses the ability to speak. Still, she decides to teach neighborhood kids how to read and write. On a cold winter morning, under a sky on the verge of snowing, Okiku shows up on Chuji’s doorstep, ready to confess her love to him with impassioned gestures. In the late Edo era, Okiku and her neighbors are full of life despite their poverty. Chuji and Yasuke, who sell these people’s manure, never give up their dream to read, write, and change the world one day. They have very little to their name, but still look towards the future – proving that this world has no limit indeed.

Japan｜ 2023｜ 89min｜ Tokyo Theaters / U-NEXT / Little More｜