A lone bench along a Tokyo riverside park serves as the crossroads for five interconnected stories. From childhood friends confronting long-buried feelings to couples, siblings, and strangers navigating moments of change, each encounter reveals how fleeting conversations can leave a lasting mark on the lives of those who pass through.

Winner of Best Screenplay and Best Artistic Contribution in the Forward Future program of the Beijing International Film Festival, AT THE BENCH is the directorial feature debut from Yoshiyuki Okayama, one of Japan's leading photographers, that plays “like a love letter addressed to people in their twenties and thirties who feel left behind and lost, as they navigate their way into adulthood” (Asian Movie Pulse).

“Packed with enough wit, mood, style... Okayama demonstrates here that he is another promising Japanese filmmaker to watch.” –Seongyong's Private Place

DIRECTED BY YOSHIYUKI OKUYAMA
JAPAN | 2024 | JAPANESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES