The First Breath of Tengan Rei

Writers/Directors: Ed M. Koziarski, Junko Kajino

Cast: Erika, Katori Eason, Ric Arthur, Sean Nix

Producers: Masayuki Koide, Yuko Kajino

A young Okinawan woman, Rei, journeys to America to confront two former Marines convicted of assaulting her ten years ago. She kidnaps Paris, the teenage son of one of the Marines, and holds him captive in a motel. Rei and Paris are drawn to each other, as his father closes in on them.

Set against the ongoing American military presence on the Japanese island Okinawa, the film explores the psychic consequences of occupation, for occupier and occupied. It questions the possibility of transformation for the victim and perpetrators of a heinous crime, finding hope in the hard road of forgiveness.

The First Breath of Tengan Rei is a revenge drama that evolves into a tale of redemption and reconciliation. The film explores the psychic consequences of occupation, for both occupier and the occupied. It questions the possibility of transformation for the victim and perpetrators of a heinous crime, finding hope in the hard road of forgiveness. (Adult Content, Language, Violence, Nudity)

[73 minutes]