Grief can be especially difficult to process when it is complicated by discovery – when, after someone is gone, you begin to uncover things about their life you never knew existed. In The Deepest Space in Us, written and directed by Yasutomo Chikuma, this kind of loss is at the center of the story. The narrative develops at a gentle pace, as the characters begin to realise that even the people we love most can have sides of themselves we never truly saw.

The film’s protagonist is Kaori (Momoko Fukuchi), an alloromantic and asexual woman, whose relationship with her fiancé Takeru (Kanichiro) doesn’t fit within typical definitions of love. They share a closeness that’s intimate and platonic at the same time. But while watching how it evolves on screen, the relationship is also distant, and it is precisely this that makes what follows so wrenching. Takeru’s hidden struggle with his sexuality changes every interaction and conversation that came before.

After Takeru’s suicide, Kaori invites his best friend Nakano (Ryutaro Nakagawa) to accompany her to the seaside town where he died. What could have been a simple journey to closure becomes a story of loss and love. As they retrace Takeru’s steps, they uncover the person he was, and the person he could never be.

The Deepest Space in Us is about what it means to move on after a painful shock. Chikuma looks at how people face realities that feel unbearable, and asks whether it’s ever truly possible to recover. Kaori, the main character, shows us this struggle; her journey through grief and hidden truths is moving. Even when nothing is completely resolved, the film suggests that simply facing what we cannot accept is a way of living. Takeru’s tragedy may affect the viewer, but the film is equally invested in Kaori’s personal struggle; the imperfect ways we attempt to reconcile grief and understanding. While I wished there was more character development in Takeru’s story, Chikuma’s film is still honest and full of feeling.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Parallax Films

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.}