Numakage Public Pool opened within the eponymous neighborhood of town of Saitama in 1971 and have become a summer season oasis for these residing within the landlocked prefecture. In 2022, the municipal authorities determined to construct a brand new mixed elementary and center college on the location, and the pool — regardless of the objections of patrons and workers — closed in 2024.
Shingo Ota’s documentary “Numakage Public Pool” traces the ultimate seven weeks of the pool’s operations, utilizing the 5 phases of grief as a framing gadget.
These final 49 days are depicted from a number of views, together with a group of younger lifeguards studying accountability of their first summer season jobs, a gaggle of aged ladies who depend on the pool for train and social interplay, and workers determined to make the federal government rethink its choice with a letter-writing marketing campaign.
