AllMovie

Kohei Oguri directs this sumptuously photographed free-formed tale about a beautiful corner of Japan. Consisting of a number of enigmatic, interwoven story lines, the film's title comes from Takuji (Ahn Sung-ki), who returns to his rural hometown after journeying about the world. After an accident in the mountain where he used to play as a child, he falls into an impenetrable slumber from which he cannot awake. Other tales include: a young lad listens to folklore spun by an old man who manages a water wheel; a foreign barkeep named Tia (Christine Hakim), who harbors a mysterious past; and Takuji's childhood friend (Koji Yakusho), who tells stories of the sleeping man's past.