Ano natsu, ichiban shizukana umi

Really impressive! It might alienate those, who want constant action and dialog's but for those who like Kitano movies in general will also love this movie.

In each Kitano movie you can feel this quiet and meditative atmosphere; like in Dolls and Hanabi for example.

But i have to say that i am again quite astonished how different Kitano appears in television, as a comedy-punk, in contrast to his own directed and very contemplative movies.

Some adjectives might be able to describe my impression of this movie: quiet, meditative, sad .. and beautiful

Deaf and introvert Shigeru works as a garbage man while his mind is at surfing. He has a very patient girlfriend by his side with which he communicates very little.

Compared to another surf movie say 'Point Break' there are no other similarities than the surf boards. In 'Ano Natsu ...' there is no action, nothing spectacular and no glorification; its a slice of life movie with its humour in the details. The pace is slow, at first it seemed boring, but you'll grow into it quickly and find it rewarding.

The 80s love scene style music by Joe Hisaishi was surprisingly tolerable, its understated anyway.

My favourite Kitano film so far together with 'Dolls'.

Takeshi Kitano has made his reputation through a string of splendid Yakuza films, whose stylised violence is tempered with humour. All the more of a surprise, then, to come across this early Kitano in a totally different style. The storyline is minimal. A young deaf-mute garbage collector finds a broken surfboard, repairs it and becomes obsessed with surfing. His devoted girlfriend follows him - literally - everywhere, six paces behind him, dutifully folding up his discarded clothes while he is surfing.

Surely you can't make a film with so little action and no dialogue from the main characters! Kitano does, triumphantly. This is a heart-warming film, without being cloying. The relationship between the two central characters is drawn beautifully, using only their eyes and occasional smiles. They hardly ever even touch. But by the end of the film you feel that you know them and your heart goes out to them, in a film with touches of the great Japanese master Ozu. The music complements the film's moods superbly, and augments the atmospheric stillness that pervades this Japanese masterpiece. A must-see movie.

I watched a scene at the sea last night, I was feeling really tired but it actually helped to watch the film in a drowsy state, it is a really simple story and the way kitano tells the story is even more simple, I just can't get over kitano, he's a really incredible film aker, I've only scene this and "hanabi" and "brother", but they all deict a similarly strange world. I like the fact that the camera barely ever moves instead relying on really beautiful long shots that look, in a lot of cases, like paintings. I'm going to make it my mission to see all 11(?) of the films he has directed. Kitano really is just one of those people who can make you forget your watching a movie, the way it all unfolds just feels like something else The acting was reserved but completely convincing, especially between the two main characters, the fact that you could get such a strong sense of character from two people who never speak is really amazing. My appreciation for kitano grows with every film I watch, seek these films out, they're worth it.

This film shows that sensitive side of Takeshi Kitano's films. He can really create some beautiful and atmospheric scenes. Sadly, this film didn't have enough to amaze me. I know many people say this is an absolutely beautiful film, and while I cannot deny the beauty of some scenes, it can drag a lot a feel dull at times.

My main issue was with the main characters. It's supposed to be a love story, but I just didn't feel their connection was believable. It was as if we are expected to see them sitting beside each other day after day as some kind of big romantic connection. Now I understand that he is deaf and, while it sometimes seems like she isn't, the girl is deaf too, making this silent and beautiful connection appear. But I just at times felt like they just happened to beside each-other. They barely ever make any eye contact. You never truly feel that silent love for each other. It felt similar to how when Takeshi Kitano is acting, he has a stone face, but in the case of these characters it doesn't work. Kitano can do his usual emotionless face yet somehow convey a character underneath that face with emotions. The two leads in this cannot do that, and it hurts the film greatly. The film also suffers from being extremely repetitive. We see people walking down the same road numerous times, see the same surfing scenes again and again without any noticeable differences. I wouldn't have minded if you we're seeing him improve his surfing skills each time, but I felt like he didn't really. Even at the end he seemed... okay. His surfing was just good. I didn't know whether that was the point or if he was supposed to actually look really good at it. The surfing feels pointless if there is not a big change in skill. I just felt like I watched a movie about two deaf people who sit around and don't look at each other, and on of them becomes mediocre at surfing. Although I will say the soundtrack is amazing. The music gave me the feelings that I wish the characters would have. It helped add emotional impact to scenes that, without the aid of Joe Hisaishi's score, would have been dull. Kitano also gives us some great shots to take in and enjoy, but the repetition of a lot of them can wear on you.

In the end, it has some beautiful scenes, but just doesn't cut it. I wish I could have loved this, because Kitano can do some amazingly touching stuff, but it didn't hit my buttons in the right way.