Ryōuchi genshuku (1996)

Overview

Shinohara-san, is it all right if I don't study? In a dormitory of a preparatory school before the winter course. Ishikuro is told about a rumour by Shinohara, his roommate who is like a prisoner in the dormitory. He is told that Tachibana, who lives next door, has recently seen his grades soar because of the drugs he is taking. Ishiguro is sceptical, but Shinohara invites him to sneak into Tachibana's room to see if it is true. They find a bottle of the drug on his desk. Is the time spent for a single purpose long or short? The film captures the long and short days of a group of ronin students who have grown tired of the pressure of life, including Shinohara, who lives aloofly, saying that "the only way to escape the weight of time that has passed is to lighten oneself up," with the light and withering touch of a famous essay.