Click here for showtimes for "Frog in the Well"
You will not find a more beautifully-lensed film anywhere than "Frog in the Well," Ken Ochiai's wonderful dramatic short about a man who travels Japan at his mother's request after her passing.
There are brilliant bits of stop-motion-type live action shots where the film is slowed down to the point that figures don't seem to move, but appear and disappear repeatedly. It's a simple device, but the way it's used in contrast to the full-speed shots is outstanding.
We get explosions of color, as in when the young man visits an aquarium, when he walks through the countryside, and when he encounters a woman he went to high school with. There's hints of romance, but it's not that kind of movie, so we find out she's in a relationship already, and happy in it.
Ochiai crafts a wonderful story, magnificently shot and told, and more than worth your while. Go out of your way to see this film.