The Flower (1989)

Ueda, Koike and Keiko are in their fourth year at university. The time limit on their paradise of university is drawing to a close, and they are all feeling impatient in their own ways. Keiko is unable to find a job. Ueda is unsure of Keiko's feelings. Koike is torn between her dream of becoming a novelist and the reality of finding a job. The summer is passing. As if to hold on to their time in paradise, they enjoy a late night of fireworks. In his dreams, Koike sees a strange family picture. The image of the three of them sitting around a make-shift table on a riverbank overgrown with summer grass softly and unobtrusively conveys to the viewer their anxiety about their ambiguous future. The film's sincere image of adolescence is heartbreaking.