Migiwa and Keisuke are a couple who make their living as oyster divers. They live in a rural harbor that is about to change drastically, as an amusement park will soon be built there. One night, Keisuke, the husband, witnesses a murder at sea. When he himself dies a few days later, it falls to Migiwa to seek justice and to embody the anger of a society being crushed by contempt, concrete, and nuclear power.

Two years after the Offscreen program dedicated to the production company Director’s Company and director Hasegawa Kazuhiko, we can finally present the first feature film from Director’s Company, which was previously held back due to rights issues. In Mermaid Legend, director Ikeda Toshiaru weaves an intimate social drama together with genre elements, including bloody scenes, disturbing eroticism, and a stunning finale. In doing so, he highlights the fear and anger that arise when traditions are threatened by aggressive industrial projects—whether an amusement park or, more likely, a nuclear power plant.

Screenings: 18/4, 9/5, 22/5 & 5/6.