O-Shin is a young geisha, living happily in a small brothel that is more like a close knit family than a business. When O-Shin falls in love with a naïve young samurai it would seem the opportunity to enhance her lowly status is at hand, but 19th Century Japanese society is less sympathetic to her hopes and dreams than her adoptive sisters. Written by Akira Kurosawa not long before his death, The Sea Is Watching is a glorious observation of people and life, touching, witty and offering optimism in the face of unenviable odds, a gentle and elegiac tale that leaves you feeling enriched. Congratulations: Your vote has been cast