
"Yourfatherpassedaway.Giveusacallimmediately."ThemessageinKawase'scellphoneinformsherofherfather'sdeath.<br/> Morethanayearhaspassedsincehisdeath.Also8yearssinceEmbracinginwhichKawasetookacameratofilmherjourneytofindherfather.ShewatchesEmbracingwithherfriendsasifshemournsherfather'sdeath,departurefromherfather.Watching,throughoutthefilm,therepetitive,momentaryinterviewsofpeoplewhowereinvolvedwithhimbeforehisdeathaswellasherrealmotherandhergrandmother,Kawasebearsunfocusedanddisconsolatefeelings.<br/> Allofasudden,shegetsanideaofhavingatattoo,thesametattooherfatherhadthroughhislife,soasto,shethinks,discoverthefamilybond,andthenshevisitsatattooartist.Thestoryacceleratesfromhere,andbringstheaudiencetotheclimax.Isthisreallyadocumentaryorfiction?Despitethisconfusion,thefilmgoesonandasksus,"Whatisloveforyou?"<br/> AttheLocarnoInternationalFilmFestivalin2001,thefilmwashighlypraisedforheroriginalfilmstyle,themixedformofdocumentaryandfiction,inwhichherdeeplonelinessisrealisticallypresented.Thefilmhasbeenshownmorethan30countries,andnowitsdistributionright,afterbeingproducedandscreenedbyARTEFrancealongwithsomeotherfilmsby,forexample,Sokurov,hasbeenterminated,andthefilmwillbescreenedinJapan.<br/> Thisisamust-see,asoftoday,Kawase'sculminationasanauteur.ThetitleKyaKaRaBaAisaBuddhistterm,kya-thesky,ka-wind,ra-fire,ba-water,anda-earth,allofwhich,altogether,meanstheworldcomposedofthoseelements.


