La Ville en deux strates

Set in Rikuzentakata, Iwate, Japan, in the year 2031, Double Layered Town is a story written by Seo Natsumi, which plants the seeds for new folktales to be born in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. It details the town that once stood, and also the one that was built after the completion of land elevation work. In Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions, four travellers who do not know each other head to Rikuzentakata in 2018, listening to what the local people have to say, staging dialogues together, and reciting stories. Through these cycles of listening, reporting, and retelling, these travellers find their own speaking voice. Double Layered Town / Making a Song to Replace Our Positions is a record of a place where a small “succession” was initiated, captured in this filmic portrait with a delicate touch.