The Friends 夏の庭 1994

©ytv

An award-winning film by Shinji Somai. Jun, spectacled Watanabe, and plump Yamashita make up a trio of sixth-grade boys who come to understand death for the first time during their summer vacation. When Yamashita’s grandmother dies, the boys go to stay with the grandfather to help him out. During their stay, they hear the grandfather’s stories about the war, losing his wife, and facing the reality of living his last days alone. The boys’ experience that summer stays with them forever, as they gain a more adult perspective on life and death, and a greater value for their own friendships.