Une double absence

A double absence tells the story of a disappearance, of a young man whose life was completely dedicated to his grandmother. Daiki and his grandmother, Yukimi, live in the small town of Kunitomi, located in Miyazaki, Kyushu Island, in southern Japan. In his early years, the boy decides to live with his grandmother, who lives on the ground floor of a family home.
The old woman raises and takes care of her grandson, continues her education, accompanies her at every stage of her school life and when she was young. Both share the same living space, have dinner together, share experiences, each deeply linked to the other. Over the years, a rare relationship is created between the grandmother and her grandson: attention, benevolence, trust and attachment create a bond of extraordinary strength.
When he reached adulthood, Daiki began his studies as a medical companion and continued caring for his grandmother: the relationship was reversed and the young man now manages Yukimi’s life. And when she falls very ill, he abandons his studies to devote himself exclusively to his recovery and manages to delay him despite the alarming advice of doctors. Fascinated and moved by this unique relationship, photographer Akhito Yoshida, cousin of Daiki and grandson of Yukimi, decides to document this story.
He photographs everyday life: Daiki and his grandmother at home, drinking tea, shopping, talking. Images that tell the story of everyday life, a sharpness of the real. But one day, Daiki disappears, without saying a word. Yumiki collapses, Daiki’s presence fades away. What remains of this story, of your relationship, of your affection? Akhito Yoshida gives to see the impermanence of beings, the fragility of ties, appearances that deceive, the unsettling absence of beings who are dear to us.