Ama-San – Films – Visions du Réel

Cláudia Varejão
Portugal, Switzerland, Japan | 2016 | 113 min
Languages : Japanese, English
Subtitles : English, French

Off the coast of a small Japanese port town, a community of fisherwomen are harmoniously preserving their ancient traditions. Every day, the Ama-San freedive to collect seaweed, crustaceans and shellfish, that they then use to feed themselves or to sell. These characters from another time are portrayed in magical sequences that combine to create a strikingly modern film.

Off the coast of a small Japanese port, a community of fisherwomen aged 50 to 85 continues to preserve centuries-old traditions in perfect harmony. These “ama” — literally “women of the sea” — freedive along the shoreline, harvesting shellfish, crustaceans, seaweed, and octopus. Working within a structure akin to a cooperative, they share with each other their knowledge and experience, sustaining a deeply artisanal, time-honoured approach to fishing.

Cláudia Varejão follows three ama of different generations. Through her lens, she reveals a world seemingly untouched by time, where balance and harmony are woven into everyday life. From birthday parties to communal baths, from karaoke sessions to moments of sisterhood by the fire, each frame radiates beauty and grace — even beneath the waves, where every dive feels like a note in an entrancing underwater choreography. In the quiet intimacy of her subjects, Varejão uncovers the essence of their beauty.

Aurélien Marsais

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