Dream Box

Written by JEROEN VAN DER STOCK I Director of Photography I XAVIER VAN D’HUYNSLAGER Assistant Camera I KEN IKEDA Editor I BRAM VAN PAESSCHEN   Sound Design  I BORIS DEBACKERE

Supported by I FLANDERS AUDIOVISUAL FUND

On Shikoku Island, the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, lies an unspecified generic building in the midst of mysterious woods.

While the remains of morning fog hanging over the mountain forests are slowly clearing, a couple of puppies sunbathing outside the building are startled by the sudden arrival of a small truck.
A few unidentified men offload the vehicle.
They seem to be pretty seasoned in handling the various cages of which the load consists.
Trapped in the cages are a number of cats and dogs.
Some of them are moving around nervously in their tiny compartments, others are remarkably quiet and in a state of calm.

The animals are in the beginning of a process of waiting in which they either just seem to be killing time or enter the Dream Box.
In the woods, trees are swaying in the wind as the sun disappears behind the clouds.