Director Keihiro Kanyama has composed a beautiful film depicting a modern-day relationship in Japan. Makoto (Maki Murakami) and Shinji, played by the filmmaker Kanyama, live together in a cozy apartment and love entertaining their friends. They throw an engagement party for their best friends Takumi and Soka, and the opening party scene perfectly captures the carefree, joyous exuberance of young couples starting out in their careers, their relationships and the beginning of their adult lives. Soka corners Makoto in the kitchen and pointedly asks whether Makoto and Shinji might think about tying the knot as well. Makoto, a fiercely independent woman, matter-of-factly responds that her career is just about where she wants it to be, she enjoys the company of her friends, and well, marriage can probably wait until later. She wants to just enjoy the moment. When Shinji is similarly queried by the guys as to why he and Makoto don’t just get married, Shinji seems to lean more toward wanting to tie the knot. But later, when he asks Makoto to think about making a more serious commitment to the relationship, she brushes him off in her usual playful manner, saying that they should just be happy with just how things are.

A peek into their daily lives reveals the typical mundane events of a relationship — doing laundry, taking out the trash, cooking and eating meals at home, lounging on the couch while reading magazines. Is this a preview of what married life would be like? Is it mundane and routine, or are these actually the precious moments to be treasured later in life? The film leads us deeper into Makoto’s reflection and inquiry into her own ideals of love, relationships and the ever-looming question of marriage and family. If life seems good now, would marriage ruin or enhance it? And what would life be like if you no longer had choices, but were forced into circumstances? Would you then regret not having made a choice? For anyone who’s loved and lost, or currently in a relationship, or still searching for your one true soul mate, SEESAW will touch your heart and cause you to ponder the same questions.

Synopsis written by: Vera DeVera