Michihito Fujii’s “The Parades” (2024) weaves a hauntingly beautiful tapestry, blurring the veil between life and what lies beyond. We follow Minako, a mother adrift in the wreckage of a tsunami, searching for her son Ryo. Her desperate journey leads her to a spectral community, each member tethered to the world by a lingering chord of regret. As their stories unfold, these lost souls embark on a poignant quest for solace, confronting their unfinished business and learning to embrace the possibility of a peaceful hereafter. Fujii paints a unique afterlife, a realm of quiet acceptance and unexpected companionship.
This article contains spoilers.
The Parades (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
“The Parades” opens on a beach. Ryo and Minako have a great mother-son time until a tsunami hits. The waves propel Minako around, and she is brought to the shore. After lying on the coast of the beach, Minako wakes up and sees the rubbles of buildings around her. Soon, she starts looking for Ryo, who is nowhere to be seen. Fearing the worst, Minako runs around looking for Ryo and tries to talk to the rescue workers, who don’t seem to pay attention to Minako’s pleas.
Not giving up, Minako reaches the rescue shelter and tries talking to the others, But nobody pays attention to Minako. Dejected, Minako comes back home. Amidst the debris, Minako finds a picture of Ryo and her, which she keeps. Suddenly, Minako hears a van passing by, and she runs behind it. To her surprise, the man talks to Minako and introduces himself as Akira. He takes her to a place with other people like her.
What has happened to Minako?
At this spot, Michael is bragging to the others about his accomplishments. The group hangs out together, drinking and eating, when Akira brings Minako to the place. Instead of feeling relieved to see other people who can see and communicate with her, Minako is confused and asks for an explanation. The others are hesitant. But Akira explains that the spot is for people who have regrets or unfinished business. Subsequently, Shori gets straight to the point and says Minako is dead. The information overwhelms Minako, who is shaking and sobbing, but Kaori helps Minako to her room to let her rest.
The following day, Minako leaves the spot to look for Ryo, but her search is not fruitful. At this point, Minako is furious with the group as she has seen them having fun but does nothing about their regrets. However, the others don’t get offended. Instead, Akira asks Minako to spend time with them as they can help her in her search for Ryo. It is the full moon day, and all the stuck souls go on a parade. For the first time, Minako joins them and learns that the stuck souls go on the parade looking for the people they have left behind. Eventually, Minako accepts her situation and becomes a part of the group.
Who is the newest member of the group?
During the stay with the group, Minako learns that Akira is writing a book about life after death to make more people aware of the spirit world. As Minako looks for Ryo with no leads, she learns that Minako is reported as missing in the real world. Shori was a yakuza when he was alive, and he visits his father and the yakuza gang as it is Shori’s father’s birthday.
Michael was a filmmaker when he was alive and constantly visited the theatre to watch a film he made. On one such occasion, Minako visits the theatre and learns from Michael that the film he is making is autobiographical. Before he could complete it, he died. Furthermore, Michael says that his lover in the real world was excited to see the film, but that dream could not be fulfilled.
Hearing Michael’s story, Minako encourages Michael to finish the film. Meanwhile, the happy Kaori visits her pregnant daughter and rejoices in seeing her kids living happily. The following morning, Michael takes Minako’s words seriously and decides to finish the film using the group as the cast and crew. The group begins and finishes shooting and wants to look at the footage when a schoolgirl, Nana, arrives at the location. Enthusiastic, Michael welcomes the new soul. He shakes hands with Nana and realizes Nana has slit her wrists and is here full of regrets. To Nana’s relief, Kaori takes Nana to her room to rest.
Can Shori overcome his regrets?
It is Shori’s death anniversary. He visits his grave and watches his father and other yakuza members arrive to pay their respects. Surprisingly, Shori also sees his fiancée Mizuki from the real world visit the grave. Seeing Mizuki makes Shori happy. He follows Mizuki to her house and watches her see images of herself and Shori when they are dating.
However, Mizuki is interrupted when another man comes in and asks Mizuki to meet his parents. Realizing Mizuki has moved on, Shori leaves the house content. At the spot for the souls, Shori expresses that he is happy since Mizuki’s new fiancée is a good man. Before crossing over, Shori watches a film by Michael about the yakuza, and Tanaka takes Shori to help him cross over.
Will Minako find Ryo?
The following day, Minako continues her search for Ryo with Akira’s help. She expresses that she wants to apologize to Ryo for leaving him all alone in the world. At the same time, Nana visits her school and witnesses her friend getting bullied, and the first victim of their bullying was Nana. Vengeful, Nana comes to the stuck souls and asks if she can kill someone in the real world. But the others give her the disappointing news that neither of the worlds can interfere with the other. It is yet another full moon night and Nana’s first night of the parade. Watching some souls find their loved ones makes her realize Nana needs to apologize to someone in the real world. Meanwhile, Kaori is stuck between the worlds because she can’t leave without seeing her grandchild. Once the child is born, Kaori is ready to cross over.
On the other hand, Akira opens up to Minako about his regrets by taking her to his house and showing his father writing a novel. The sad part about the situation for Akira was that his father was never interested in books. But after he passed away, his father took to writing. Once again, Nana goes back to her school, and the bullying of Yasuko (Nana’s friend) has increased. Yasuko thinks about jumping off the building, and just as Nana apologizes, Yasuko changes her mind. Sadly, despite Nana’s apology, nothing has changed in the real world. However, Akira asks Nana to continue, and her voice will be heard one day.
On another full moon parade, Michael comes with the good news that Ryo is alive. and Minako visits him while the others wait outside. Upon entering the place, Minako learns that Ryo is unwell, but as Minako approaches him, Ryo can see Minako, and they converse. Listening to the vague story of Minako, Ryo realizes that Minako is helping others just as they had helped her. In a bittersweet moment, Minako bids farewell to Ryo.
The Parades (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
How does Minako help Michael?
Now that Minako has made peace with her unfinished business and regret, she is ready to cross over but decides to stay back to help Michael. That morning, Minako encourages Michael to finish the film, and the group will help. As planned, the shooting begins, Michael finishes the editing, and the film is ready. It is time to take the movie to Michael’s lover, Maiko, in the real world. Although Michael is initially unsure, he eventually feels prepared with the others encouraging him and joining him to Maiko’s house. As they reach Maiko’s house, Michael is met with another deceased soul who is the one Maiko married in the real world.
Even though Michael does not leave the film with Maiko, he apologizes and bids her farewell. Since the film is ready, Minako suggests they screen it for the other stuck souls, as they would enjoy it. Taking Minako’s idea, Michael screens the film, and it is a success. At dinner, Nana learns that Tanaka is the middleman who helps the stuck souls in their journey to crossover to the other realm of the spirit world.
Before crossing over herself, Minako meets Akira, who confesses that he has a crush on her and says he will stop writing his book once his father finishes it in the real world. After meeting with Akira, Tanaka helps Minako cross over. In a transition to the future, we see the spot where the stuck souls used to hang out, taken over by nature.
Will Nana and Ryo cross paths?
A few years have passed, and Nana wakes up in the hospital with tears in her eyes. At the same time, a grown-up Ryo walks along the crowded streets of Tokyo and meets Nana. Now Nana has become a director, and Ryo has come to view the film. He also asks Nana to tell him about his mother. During the meeting, Ryo also says he wants to become a journalist like his mother.
Nana’s debut film is titled “The Parades,” and it is the story of all the stuck souls. Ryo gets a chance to learn about his mother through the film. The film is also dedicated to Michael since he encouraged Nana to make films. Nana is also reunited with her friend Yasuko, who is present at the “The Parades” screening. In the film’s ending, Nana waking up in the hospital suggests that Nana was not dead but was in a coma. However, when she woke up, she remembered briefly the details of the spirit life she was in. Taking that experience and Michael’s words, Nana has become a director.
The film “The Parades” suggests that the film being screened is the same film the viewers are watching. Nature taking over the soul’s residence suggests that all the souls have crossed over after making peace with their unfinished business. Ryo has grown up to be a sweet boy and has crossed paths with Nana, which helps him get closer to his mother.
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