Movie Review: Two Seasons, Two Strangers

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Screened at Stockholm International Film Festival 2025

One-liner: A contemplative, meandering and tender coming-of-age drama with solid performances.

Okay, so I just finished watching Two Seasons, Two Strangers, and it’s a really lovely, quiet film. It’s about a screenwriter who’s kind of lost and trying to rediscover herself through a new project. The director, Shô Miyake, does a brilliant job of pulling you into her world. It doesn’t feel like you’re watching a movie, so much as you’re getting a peek into the actual process of someone trying to create something. It’s a really thoughtful and artistic experience.

I immediately got the feeling that Two Seasons, Two Strangers wasn’t going to be your typical romance. The way it started, almost like we were just watching things happen naturally, hinted at something a little different. It felt familiar though, like the story was being put together as we watched it. Then, it really drew me in with this sweet summer love story between Nagisa and Natsuo – they meet while both vacationing in a beautiful seaside town, and it’s just lovely!

Strong performances from Shim Eun-kyung, Yumi Kawai, and Mansaku Takada help bring the film’s fantastical world to life. The movie uses a beautiful, emotional story-within-a-story, making it feel like the main plot. However, this feeling is deliberately turned on its head. Two Seasons, Two Strangers stays true to its name by shifting back to the present, focusing on a screenwriter who, after a difficult experience, retreats to a mountain resort. There, she meets an older man named Benzo and must adjust to a new situation.

“I’m here now.”

The story feels light and dreamy, unfolding gently with moments of pause and poetic reflection. But once the main character connects with a new mentor, the plot loses momentum and feels like it’s restarting, leaving the ending open and unresolved.

I just finished watching Two Seasons, Two Strangers, and it’s a beautifully sad film. It definitely kept me intrigued, and I appreciated the poetic way it explored its characters. However, the movie takes some unexpected turns, almost like it’s starting over midway through, and those shifts didn’t quite land for me. While it manages to maintain a consistent mood throughout, the story feels a bit floaty and slow-paced. At times, I felt like the filmmakers were more focused on creating a certain feel than really digging deep into what makes these people tick.

The bottom line: Tender

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2025-11-24 23:43