Acclaimed independent director Kobayashi Masahiro (Bashing) based Aruku, Hito, a.k.a Man Walking on Snow, on his own experiences and relationship with his father. Like Kobayashi's other works, this quiet, compelling film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001, provides subtle commentary on Japanese society. Set against the stark natural beauty of snowy Hokkaido, Aruku, Hito is a moving, bittersweet drama about the winter season of life.

Honma Nobuo (Ogata Ken - Hidden Blade), a lonely, elderly man who recently lost his wife, walks through the harsh weather everyday to observe fish at a breeding center in the mountains. He and his son Yasuo (Hayashi Yasufumi) live in a remote town that has seen better days. For the second anniversary of his wife's death, Nobuo insists that his estranged first son, Ryoichi (Kagawa Teruyuki), return home. The ailing Nobuo hopes to come to terms with his family and life, but the reunion becomes a bitter affair when all the grievances accumulated over the years come pouring out.