The Parades presents a touching supernatural tale from Japan, now streaming on Netflix, and shares a heartfelt account through an unusual lens. The story follows Minako, a woman separated from her young son Ryo after a tragic natural catastrophe.
Determined to find him, she embarks on a challenging journey, experiencing strange events and receiving help from companions who aren’t quite human. The film takes its time to develop, gradually building a quiet emotional rhythm that stays with the viewer.
The living can’t see her but her love for Ryo remains unshaken (Photo: The Parades/Babel Label, Inc.)Plot Summary: What is the film about?
The movie opens with a woman lying unconscious by the sea, tossed gently by the waves. When she eventually regains consciousness, she finds herself surrounded by debris on a beach, appearing to have somehow survived a violent disaster. Her immediate concern, however, is the whereabouts of someone dear to her.
The woman is Minako, and she quickly realises her son Ryo is missing. In a panic, she searches across the shoreline, calling out for him without any response. The chaotic remains scattered across the coast and floating in the water indicate that an earthquake and tsunami have recently ravaged the area, destroying homes and lives.
Her search continues as she approaches nearby emergency personnel, but they seem to pay her no mind. At the temporary relief camp, she again finds no trace of Ryo and is met with complete indifference from everyone around. Nobody responds to her presence, treating her as though she isn’t there at all.
With nowhere else to go, Minako heads toward her home, which she had shared only with her son. The house lies in ruins, and Ryo remains unaccounted for. Amongst the debris, she manages to retrieve an old photograph capturing a happy memory of her and Ryo at the beach. Just then, a man warns her to watch out as he drives off in a white van—marking the first time someone has addressed her directly since the disaster.
Curious and desperate, Minako confronts the man, asking him to explain what is going on. He introduces himself as Akira and invites her to a place nearby. This area is bright and lively, part of an amusement park that now serves as shelter for a group of people. As she meets this group, Minako is startled to hear their story.
Akira and the others inform her that she has passed away and is now part of the spirit world, where each of them lingers due to unresolved issues from their time alive.
Why does Minako decide to stay with the group?
Receiving this explanation leaves Minako unsettled, though some pieces begin to fall into place. She recalls being trapped underwater during the incident and realises that surviving such a situation would have been nearly impossible. It starts to make sense why people were ignoring her—she was a ghost all along.
In this spirit world, although spirits can observe the living, they cannot interact or communicate with them. This harsh truth causes great distress, especially the realisation that meeting Ryo again is only possible if he too dies, something she cannot bear to imagine.
Even though Minako takes a room at the amusement park—one recently left vacant by another spirit who had moved on—she prefers to spend her early days alone. During daylight hours, she wanders through town looking for any clue about Ryo. Drawing from her background as a journalist, she checks at her old workplace for updates.
She discovers her name listed among the missing, but Ryo’s absence from the reports provides a small glimmer of hope that he is still alive. However, back at her new dwelling, she finds the other spirits frustrating. Their apparent laziness and lack of urgency in dealing with their unfinished business upsets her.
She views their camaraderie with scepticism and struggles to understand the point of remaining together in such a state. Still grieving her life and purpose, Minako struggles to adapt. But her perspective begins to change after participating in a ceremony held during every full moon.
During this procession, spirits walk in unison, hoping for a reunion with those they cherished during their earthly lives. Sometimes, these reunions do happen—when their loved ones pass away and join the spirit world. Minako is touched by the emotional support shared among the spirits and gradually comes to accept the idea of staying with them to achieve her goal.
Can Minako meet Ryo for one last time?
Her time with the group teaches Minako about how things work in this strange existence. Spirits end up in this world because of regrets or goals left behind. They can only move forward once they feel at peace.
Minako’s greatest wish is to know that Ryo is safe and to comfort him once more before letting go. Though she cannot find him initially, the others rally around her, offering their help in the search.
Kaori, a spirited woman who passed away before seeing her children grow up, dreams of becoming a grandmother. She watches over her daughter constantly and finally witnesses the birth of her grandchild, which fulfils her longing. Akira, quiet and observant, wishes to document life in the spirit world.
In a theme park for spirits, lost souls linger with stories untold (Photo: The Parades/Babel Label, Inc.)His past regrets centre on blaming his parents for his illness, and watching his father write a book about him begins to heal that emotional wound. Both Kaori and Akira begin preparing to leave after achieving peace.
Shori has a rough past, having been connected to the Yakuza through his father. His fiancée Mizuki disapproved of his involvement and tragically lost him to violence.
After seven years in the spirit world, Shori wants Mizuki to heal from the grief and find love again. When he finally sees her move forward with a new partner, it brings him immense comfort, making him the first among them to leave.
Eventually, Minako too reaches her moment. One night, Michael brings news that Ryo has been located. The group rushes to a children’s hospital where Ryo lies in a critical state, calling for his mother.
When he is alone, Minako quietly approaches and gently speaks to him, offering comfort and an apology. While Ryo cannot see her directly, he senses her presence through flickering lights and reacts emotionally.
This encounter, which seems like a dream to him, mirrors an earlier scene where a young girl also appeared to sense Minako’s presence—suggesting that children, through their innocence, might be able to connect with spirits. After this encounter, Ryo miraculously recovers, while Minako finally finds peace and is able to leave the spirit world.
Does Michael get to complete his film?
Michael, the oldest among the spirits at the park, initially comes across as someone who boasts a little too much. Though his claims remain unverified, his reasons for remaining in the spirit world become clear with time.
A passionate film lover, Michael was once a producer and had been developing a deeply personal movie inspired by events from his youth. The film drew from memories of his involvement in student protests, particularly focusing on his friendships with Sasaki and a woman named Maiko.
While he and Maiko were beginning to fall in love, Michael decided to abandon the protest movement and also walked away from Maiko. This decision deeply hurt her, and she later married Sasaki.
Michael’s guilt over this past and his incomplete film project kept him from finding closure. Through the help and encouragement of the others, he begins working on finishing his film in the spirit world, hoping to finally complete what he had started many years ago.
