The Global Search for Education: Kazuya Ashizawa's Waterfall: A Cinematic Journey of Spiritual Awakening

Posted By C. M. Rubin on Mar 8, 2024

This month, audiences can screen Waterfall on the Planet Classroom Network. The film is curated for the Planet Classroom Network by KIDS FIRST! Film Festival.

Step into the heart of this poignant coming-of-age story with Kazuya Ashizawa’s captivating film, Waterfall. In this soul-stirring journey and ceremony, a 13-year-old boy and his mother venture deep into the mountains to partake in a mysterious and sacred ritual at a secluded waterfall. Little do they know, this ancient practice, steeped in tradition and spirituality, holds profound challenges and revelations for them both. Mesmerizing cinematography brings to life the essence of this timeless rite of passage, capturing the raw emotions and spiritual awakening of the young protagonist.

The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome the film’s director Kazuya Ashizawa.

Kazuya, what inspired you to create Waterfall, focusing on a teen’s rite of passage?

There are a number of scenes in this film that will surprise you and that you may not have seen before. But they are not scenes of violence or abuse. It is a sacred and loving ritual that has been practiced in Japanese Buddhism since ancient times.

One day, a monk I know called me. He said to me, “A 13-year-old soccer-loving boy and his mother are going to take a retreat at a waterfall deep in the mountains.”

I had heard from him that practicing asceticism at a waterfall is very hard work, so I wondered why a 13-year-old boy would take on such a challenge.

The monk further told me, “According to the boy’s mother, he has recently become obsessed with his smartphone and is not able to concentrate on his studies or soccer. So, the mother came up with the idea of having him try waterfall asceticism.

When I heard this story, I was very intrigued. I decided to film a movie to see how this boy would change after completing the waterfall training.

If you watch the last scene of the film, you will notice that this boy’s heart has changed. When everyone returned to the foot of the mountain after the training, the mother showed the boy some interesting images on her smartphone. But the boy, who had just been exposed to the power of nature, was not interested in it.

The boy must be working hard on his soccer and studies now.

How did you approach capturing the significance of the ceremony through cinematography?

For the Japanese, waterfalls are sacred places. Therefore, there are strict rules for the practices that take place there. I received special permission from the monks to film there. Participants enter the waterfalls wearing white costumes that have been handed down since ancient times (I wore the same costume as them!).

The participants and I were very serious about this practice because of the danger involved.

Receiving the tremendous power of the water with their whole bodies, the participants said their prayers with all their hearts. Watching them, I felt their hearts gradually become crystal clear. There remained only purity. That is exactly what I wanted to portray in this film.

Thank you Kazuya!