Masa: 居場所 (The Place Where I Am) - A Review and Reflection

Masa: 居場所 paints a gentle and stunning portrait of climber, Masa Sakano. The imagery is simply beautiful, geometrically aligned and perfectly paced, it encourages a deep and mindful breath, masterfully created by director, Rachel Sarah. It opens with two landscapes, Japan and Scotland. They shift alongside each other, cutting between image and sound. Masa’s voice enters: “Ibasho, what is the meaning of the word?” “Literally, it means, ‘the place where I am’ [...] ‘the place where I should and do belong’”.

The premise is established and details are now drawn, we see glimpses of Masa’s year, where he and his community of close friends climb together. This is juxtaposed with a new year celebration at his family home, where they reminisce together. It’s hard for me to put into words the depth felt whilst watching this film, it feels centred in joy, friendship and community, while there is a strong philosophy of acceptance told through family upbringing, changes in environment and loss. What is most poignant is Masa’s resilience and commitment to his practice as a trad and winter climber.

I truly loved this film for all of its elements including soundtrack, where I’ve been newly introduced to the artist Macaroom and their track ‘kyoukai’ (have this on repeat). As a filmmaker, I found Masa’s aesthetics and cinematography very inspiring. A thread which seems to tie many of this year's films is nostalgia. I hope you feel just as inspired as me when watching. We’ve now sold out our first Inverness and Edinburgh screenings, it’s so exciting to see such a strong community and can’t wait to catch you there!

Photos by Hamish Frost and Gaku Matsuda