echoes

Black & white, 16mm
USA, 2000, 72 min
Section: Forum of Independents

About the film

Leslie, a rebellious young woman living in Manhattan’s East Village, has had a series of empty relationships. One night at a party, she steals a purse which contains a clue to her mysterious past. Hitching a ride in her quirky friends’ junk Volvo, she sets out on a road trip which ultimately leads her to a revealing confrontation with her estranged mother and to the truth about herself. This Japanese director’s debut depicts the profound solitude of young people in New York’s East Village. With beautiful black-and-white photography, the film follows one woman’s search for warmth and attachment from the chaotic streets of Manhattan to the peaceful countryside of Virginia.

About the director

Atsushi Funahashi (Osaka) graduated from Tokyo University having taken a course in cinema studies. He wrote and directed several short films and also a documentary. After receiving a scholarship, he came to New York in 1997 to study filmmaking at the School of Visual Arts and graduated in 2000. echoes is his first feature film.