El ano de Saeko / The year of Saeko

After the success of un grito de amor desde el centro del mundo, Katayama returns with another extraordinary work. Shun'ichi and Saeko are happily married. He works as a computer programmer. She tends to the house and manages three vending machines. When, after discussing it with Shun'ichi, Saeko decides to help her become a mother, their peaceful existence shatters. In el año de Saeko, Katayama contrasts the daily lives of two people to Life with a capital L: man as just another element of nature. Katayama's understanding of life and death, and her constant reference to spiritual ties and Chinese culture, not only take from Japanese spirituality and aesthetics, but point to a new path in humanity's quest to find a new meaning of life.