Since the Showa Electric Company discharged organic mercury into this important riverway, Minamata disease has been a way of life for those living along the Agano. This rare independent Japanese documentary was the result of an effort by a film collective who lived with the community for four years. The spirit of the film is subtle and complex. It has an observational quality, capturing the daily life of the villagers, but the subtext of the film documents the politicization of the village which fights to receive recognition and compensation for the long-term effects of Minamata disease. "The portrait that emerges is not only of resilience but of a zest for life that defies labeling of the villagers as simply victims" (L.A. Asian Pacific Festival).