Actors who also direct, though plentiful in Hollywood, are not so common in Japan. But Sara Ogawa’s career may be a sign that times are changing. Born in 1996, she has been an in-demand actor since she was a teenager, while directing three shorts and four full-length films, including her latest, “The Goldfish: Dreaming of the Sea.”
Released by Toei Video, it is also Ogawa’s first theatrical feature, made with talent, vision and lyricism that propels the film through its brief 76-minute running time, while conjuring up the protagonist’s inner world more with sidelong suggestions than bold statements.
Shot in the countryside of Kagoshima Prefecture, where Ogawa’s mother grew up, “The Goldfish” has an intimate atmosphere, and its story, based on her original script, has strong emotional roots and narrative bones.