The Last Blossom

Directed by Kinoshita Baku
Starring Kobayashi Kaoru, Tozuka Junki, Mitsushima Hikari, Miyazaki Yoshiko

A man with a criminal past seeks a new beginning in life — but can he really become someone beyond himself?

An elderly man named Akutsu Minoru serving a life sentence, awaits a lonely death in his prison cell. The only real sign of life in the cell is a potted balsam flower — hosenka in Japanese. One night, Minoru begins sharing his life story with the flower — and, improbably, it starts talking back. Through their conversations, Minoru recalls his past and reflects on the meaning of his life.

The summer of 1987. Minoru, a low-ranking yakuza member, moves into a modest seaside apartment with Nagata Nana, a single mother, and her son Kensuke . This living arrangement comes through a senior gangster Minoru respects.

Despite his criminal lifestyle and his shyness in expressing his feelings for Nana, Minoru loves them with all his heart. The balsam plants in his garden witness their peaceful and seemingly ordinary life. One day, Minoru suddenly finds himself in desperate need of a large sum of money and steals 300 million yen from the gang’s safe. Caught in a web of misplaced loyalty and friendship, Minoru finds himself manipulated — by others or by fate — but still clings to the hope of one last secret comeback from his troubled life.

Director Kinoshita Baku’s thoughtful and tender anime explores love and life’s changes in a way that everybody can resonate with.

Co-presented by the Japan Foundation.