As he wandered through a drought-stricken Japan, teacher Gaukuen  (Tsutomu Yamazaki) was gladdened to encounter old friend Akira (Gô Katô), living in a small village with a beautiful bride (Tamasaburô Bandô). He'd be perturbed to discover that his comrade was uncannily bound to the hamlet-forced to ring a bell daily so that the local lake's demons wouldn't flood the region. Masahiro Shinoda's dreamlike take on the kabuki standard co-stars. Kôji Nanbara. 123 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: Japanese; Subtitles: English; featurettes. In Japanese with English subtitles.