: The use of slow-motion and a haunting soundtrack (featuring Radiohead) creates an ethereal yet disturbing viewing experience.

The film suggests that the mother-child relationship is the most powerful and potentially destructive force in human development.

The narrative centers on Yuko Moriguchi, a middle school teacher who discovers that her four-year-old daughter, Manami, did not drown accidentally as the police believe. On her final day at school, Moriguchi delivers a haunting "confession" to her rowdy class. She reveals that Manami was murdered by two of her own students, whom she labels (Shuya Watanabe) and Student B (Naoki Shimomura).