ラッキー・ストライク

For four years, Jun had evaded telling his late friend’s mother that her son had passed away. One night, with the help of a male acquaintance, he finally summons up the resolve to accept this heavy responsibility. As their journey progresses, the story shifts between reality and imagination, threading together conversations about life’s “batting average” and recollections from the past, imprinting a lasting echo in the minds of viewers. While the two characters’ silent game of catch, intercut with whimsical music, makes a powerful motif, the gradual revelation of the truth quietly settles in the viewer’s heart with unexpected weight. Director Yuki Hoshino, who handled the screenplay, shooting, lighting, sound recording, and editing, portrays the love and bond within a family through the theme of baseball, creating a flawlessly executed short film that viewers will want to revisit time and time again. The light-hearted dialogue subtly weaves in the gravity of life and death as well as the past and the present, its emotional impact lingering long after the final frame.