When a catastrophic earthquake devastates Japan’s Noto Peninsula, San Diego business owner and mother Raechel is compelled to act. After learning that Seiko Kinshichi has lost both her home and her historic family brewery, Raechel—who once endured a similar loss—feels a profound connection and becomes determined to help a stranger rebuild her life.
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Review by Andie Kay:
This uplifting documentary centers around the devastating 2024 earthquake that destroyed the Matsunami Brewery and many others in Noto Town. The filmmakers were smart in how they started this film with information about sake and how it’s steeped in Japanese culture, but also how the art of crafting sake is dying out.
Raechel Kadoya has her own personal experience living through an earlier earthquake in Japan and she couldn’t ignore what was happening to Seiko and the Matsunami Brewery. Her desire to help is nothing short of inspiring and it ignited this wonderful chain reaction of getting people on board to help raise money for Seiko’s business. The rock band The Falling Doves joined in and with Raechel went to Japan to tour, donating the proceeds to Seiko.
Seeing the devastation from this earthquake was heart wrenching. Kelli Hayden and Christopher Leyva were the cinematographers and Christopher directed this film and it was incredibly impactful. The use of past footage from various media outlets also helped drive home how terrifying and awful it must have been for the residents of Noto Town.
There was so much creativity in the way this film was edited, I really appreciated the split screen and special effects the filmmakers used in the transitions. Mostly, I loved how very inspiring this story was and what could be accomplished when people come together to make a positive difference.
Festival Reviews 