Firefly Dreams

Firefly Dreams is the story of one decisive summer in the life of teenage rebel, Naomi, set in the beautiful and remote countryside of Horaicho. Naomi (17) is deeply affected by her parents’ divorce and so she agrees to her mother’s suggestion that she go and spent the holidays with her aunt in the mountains. When the aunt realises that Naomi is not too thrilled with her work at the hotel, she introduces her to Mrs Koide, a distant relative living in seclusion. At first Naomi is mortified by the thought of taking care of an old woman but she soon becomes interested in the secrets Mrs Koide is evidently hiding. The girl and the old woman find that they have a common language and begin sharing their dreams, desires and disappointments.Firefly Dreams, pitting the World War Two generation against today’s youth, who never had to fear for their lives, but who feel lost in our commercial, spiritually empty society, is set in central Japan, a region full of natural beauty and cultural traditions. The film is about more than a meeting across the gulf of age and values. Naomi’s real tests, including the ultimate ones of death and final separation, are still to come.