Distance

Three years after the attack, four families travel to the lake to remember those involved. The mood is solemn as they approach the quiet dock by the water. They discover a motorcycle parked there, a strange reminder of the events they are revisiting.

They encounter Sakata, a former cult member who trained for the attack but defected at the last minute. He remains distant and does not engage with the visitors, barely acknowledging their presence. The atmosphere thickens with unspoken tension.

Sakata discovers his own motorcycle is missing and guides the group to the cabin where he and the deceased cult members had stayed. The journey during the evening reveals an unsettled past and a fragile sense of safety. They spend the night there, surrounded by memories and questions.

During the night, flashbacks unfold showing how cult members told their families they were leaving the real world to join the cult. They also reveal Sakata's time with the cult and his eventual escape, as well as the police investigation that followed the attack. The scenes intercut with present conversations deepen the mystery.

Sakata tells Atsushi about Yûko, Atsushi's sister, recounting their close relationship and that he had asked her to run away with him the night before the attack. Atsushi is told that he looks nothing like Yûko. The exchange heightens the tension between memory and identity.

The next morning they return to the city by train. Sakata asks Atsushi who he really is, suggesting hidden truths. Atsushi recalls Yûko's possible lie about her brother's fate, and Sakata implies it would not have been said that way if she were lying.

Atsushi goes to visit the old man in the hospital, hoping for something familiar. The old man dies, and a nurse reveals she had mistaken Atsushi for the man's son until the real son appears. The death deepens the sense of unresolved family ties and secrets.

The hospital scene deepens the mystery surrounding the family's past and the cult's lingering influence. Atsushi senses that the truth about his sister and father might remain out of reach. The days blend together as the group returns to the lake's memory.

Atsushi returns to the lake and places two flowers, one for his father, implied to be the cult leader, and one for his sister Yûko. The act is intimate and solemn, signaling his attempt to confront and perhaps distill his memories. The lake's stillness contrasts with the emotional weight of the moment.

Sakata moves to burn Yûko's family photos and memorabilia near the lakeside. The act signals a deliberate severing of the past and a yearning to forget the ties that bind them. The flames burn with a quiet but powerful intensity.

The fire grows larger, consuming memories as Atsushi walks away from the lake. He leaves behind his past, choosing a path forward separate from the cult's legacy. The film closes on the image of the glowing flames and the lone figure walking into the distance.