Seaside Serendipity Review: Abstract Artpiece

Seaside Serendipity is a charming portrait of everyday life that employs gorgeous visuals to explore its intentionally vague story.

Seaside Serendipity is a family drama which intertwines serious musings on the transience of life with a light-hearted, free-wheeling tone, using the seaside town as its central character and letting human forms come in and out like moving tides. It’s an innovative concept, but one that at the same time renders the film distant: dazzling to look at, but difficult to identify with.

At its core, Seaside Serendipity is a film about artistry and friendship – how creative inspiration ebbs and flows like the tide, and how human connections can be as fleeting as a summer breeze. The movie is set in a picturesque coastal town in Japan where a local arts project has attracted the attention of several individuals, all of whom are connected through some ineffable bond. And yet the story’s main character is none of these figures, but rather the town itself, which is constantly changing and reflecting the lives of those within it. Seaside Serendipity is a story about how we’re shaped by the communities around us, and how people can have a tangible effect on the essence of a town.

Yokohama’s film is brimming with gorgeous, striking visuals that employ a bright color palette to perfectly capture the gentle charm of the coastal setting. With its pastel tones and distinct atmospheric contrasts, Seaside Serendipity evokes a very unique feeling of calmness, which in turn reflects the film’s themes of friendship and comfort. Every frame is meticulously composed, using subtle camera movements to enhance this nostalgic effect and immerse the viewer in this seemingly Edenic world. From a purely visual standpoint, the film is a triumph – one that knows exactly how to use its setting as a living, breathing character in itself. But when it comes to the actual characters from whose perspective this story is told, the film stumbles over itself.

This dedication to atmosphere is not without cost; the movie is so dedicated to the rolling ensemble and sweeping storytelling that nearly none of the characters feel developed, and the storytelling itself wanders more often than not. Even though it’s a fun idea to make the town itself the protagonist, Seaside Serendipity never quite commits fully to the idea. It still boasts a number of named characters and complicated relationships that the audience is invited to sympathise with, but these characters drift through the town so briefly and peripherally that it’s hard to get attached to any of them. The moment the audience begins to get invested in one particular subplot, it’s shoved to the side to make room for the next. This adds to the film’s bittersweet examination of the passage of time, but bars any of its character storylines from fulfilling their potential.

All that being said, there’s much to be admired in the way the film is made. The direction is tough and confident, and the screenplay is full of a quick wit that keeps the tone light and entertaining. Even if the characters themselves don’t make a lasting impression, they are useful mouthpieces for Yokohama’s keen insights into the world around us. This conviction and humor lends a sturdy, reflective dimension that is enjoyable – though rather distant – to observe.

Seaside Serendipity (海辺へ行く道 – Umibe e Iku Michi) had its World Premiere on February 17-23, 2025 at the at the Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Special Mention Generation Kplus Award. The movie will be released in Japan in the summer. Read our Berlin Film Festival reviews!