FISHES IN AUGUST

Kenji is a member of his high school swimming team. He has a crush on his classmate, Reiko, but is in for a big let-down when she tells him she fancies Arai, the Korean-Japanese star of the team.

FISHES IN AUGUST
Original Title:Mizu no naka no hachigatsu
Japan, 1997
Director: Yoichiro Takahashi

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Kenji is a member of his high school swimming team. He has a crush on his classmate, Reiko, but is in for a big let-down when she tells him she fancies Arai, the Korean-Japanese star of the team.

Reiko asks Kenji to act as a go-between, to which, hiding his own feelings, he agrees. But Arai guesses that Kenji is himself in love with Reiko, and he offers to help bring them together.

Meanwhile, Kenji is knocked out of the regional swimming championship during a preliminary swim meet. One day, Reiko asks Kenji out on a date, but when he arrives at the appointed place, he finds her there with Arai….

Screenplay:
Masato Kato (based on the novel by Natsuo Sekikawa)

Cinematography:
Fumio Kodaka

Editing:
Kiyoko Mizushima

Music:
Norihiro Tsuru

Principal cast:
Kenji Mizuhashi, Ayumi Ito, Yoshiki Otsuka, Ren Osugi

Production:
NHK Drama Programmes Division / 35mm / colour / 90 mins

Director's bio-note:
Yoichiro Takahashi was born in Tokyo in 1963. In 1986, after graduating from university, he joined the Japanese television channel NHK where he worked on a series of documentaries before moving on to the drama section. His television works include Yoko (1992) and Boryoku kyoshi (Violent Teacher, 1996). Fishes in August is his first feature film.