Set against the backdrop of Aceh’s tsunami aftermath, fantasy drama The Man from The Sea will make you ponder some deep existential questions.

The Man from The Sea, a collaborative work of filmmakers from Indonesia, Japan and France, has created a buzz since it debuted at the Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival (JAFF) earlier this month.

The sixth feature film of Japanese director Koji Fukada presents a tale that enchants viewers as they dive deeper into the story.

The sea is a mysterious sight to behold. Two-thirds of our planet is covered with water, yet its depths are as alien as the stars above us.

While stories from and about the vast oceans are plentiful, The Man from The Sea sets out to lure viewers in with a storyline that combines the mundane with the magical.

A joint project between the venerable Japanese production house Nikkatsu, Kaninga Pictures of Indonesia and Comme Des Cinemas of France, The Man from The Sea also marks 60 years of diplomatic relations between the island nations of Indonesia and Japan.

The story begins with a seemingly amnesiac man (Dean Fujioka) being washed up on a pristine beach of Banda Aceh. As the man is believed to be Japanese, he is entrusted to the care of Japanese NGO worker Takako (Mayu Tsuruta), who lives with her son Takashi (Taiga).

As the man cannot remember his own name, Takako decides to call him Laut (the Indonesian word for sea) in a nod to his mysterious origins.

They are soon joined by aspiring journalist Ilma (Sekar Sari), her childhood friend Kris (Adipati Dolken) as well as Takashi’s cousin Sachiko (Junko Abe), each carrying their own stories that would be changed by Laut’s otherworldly presence in their lives.

From early on, Laut’s inhuman characteristics are as clear as the waters off Banda Aceh, with his singing of an eerie, ethereal tune resulting in a basket full of freshly caught fish apparently returning to life briefly until the singing ends.

The supernatural elements in the movie don’t end there, as Laut also possesses abilities that resemble those of a phantom, such as opening a door in front of journalists in Jakarta to instantly appear back in Takako’s residence. Laut creates a good scare as he stands beside the bed where Sachiko is sleeping with his disheveled hair covering his face.

However, Laut’s character does not project a black-and-white sense of good or evil, merely a force of nature that does not care about life or death, perhaps like the sea itself.

The setting of Banda Aceh is also quite striking, as it was the site of the 2004 tsunami that claimed so many lives while turning upside down the lives of many more.

A character even suggests that Laut is the manifestation of the spirits of the victims, while another seems to think he is a demon after witnessing an apparent off-screen drowning of local children.

While The Man from The Sea’s storyline allows the viewers’ imagination to surge forth in making up their own theories on Laut, it fleshes out other characters through little backstories, such as Takashi’s decision to be an Indonesian, Sachiko’s quest to spread her father’s ashes and the religious difference that stalled Kris and Ilma’s relationship.

In terms of delivery, you’d be forgiven for finding the trilingual conversations a bit stiff and stilted. However, one should remember the Japanese actors had to learn Indonesian for their parts, which speaks to their dedication to their craft while also providing the tiny bits of realism in this otherwise mystical tale.

Regardless of your own theory on Laut, The Man from The Sea is likely to give you pause whenever you are looking out onto the ocean. After all, the sea gives, and the sea takes.

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A Man from The Sea

(107 minutes; Nikkatsu, Kaninga Pictures, Comme Des Cinemas)
Director and writer: Koji Fukada
Cast: Dean Fujioka, Mayu Tsuruta, Taiga, Sekar Sari, Adipati Dolken, Junko Abe

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