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Bradley Rust Gray’s drama “blood” aligns with meditative films like “Before Sunrise” and “Nomadland” — those that focus more on style or character than developing the rise and fall of a typical plot. “blood,” which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, centers on Chloe (Carla Juri), a photographer who travels to Japan for work following the death of her husband and spends time with an old friend of theirs, Toshi (Takashi Ueno). “blood” might be dissatisfying for those who expect a well-paced film with substantial action guiding a sweeping story arc. Rather, the film is attuned to the small details that make up a life, thoughtfully following Chloe and Toshi around Japan through the observational gaze of long, fixed takes. With its simple, wandering narrative that doesn’t seem to have a particular goal in mind, “blood” is often disappointingly slow moving. However, there is still beauty to be found in its celebration of quiet moments of connection and healing.

Chloe arrives in Japan with a camera and a barely repressed grief that lingers beneath the surface. In sporadic flashbacks that possess a dreamlike quality, we see memories of her and her husband Peter (Gustaf Skarsgård) before his death — skiing, cooking, resting quietly by a waterfall. These glimpses into her life with Peter add a much needed layer of insight to the narrative. But while a refreshing diversion from her experiences in Japan, these flashbacks are few and far between, ultimately feeling like fleeting glimpses into a static backstory rather than providing substantial depth to her character. Chloe, while portrayed with a quiet strength by Carla Juri, is ultimately an enigmatic protagonist. While not entirely inaccessible thanks to Juri’s expressive acting — marked by the occasional silent tear or wordless, pensive stare — the lack of dialogue dedicated to actually discussing her grief is a disservice to the story’s attempted commentary on how we cope with loss.

“blood” is an aesthetic triumph in its portrayal of Japan. The country pulses with life, a character in and of itself. The camera will often stay in a fixed location as Chloe and Toshi meander towards it, cars and passerbys sometimes obscuring them and taking center stage. Indeed, with its limited use of dynamic camera movements, “blood” positions its audience as objective observers of Chloe, who just happened to be allowed this little window into her life. The film lingers on ordinary interactions and experiences: playing with Toshi’s daughter (Futaba Okazaki), attending a dance class, walking lazily around a city. Chloe specializes in taking photographs of people across different professions, including a lobster fisherman and a Kintsugi artist. None of these interactions build to anything exciting, but they are nevertheless contemplative portraits of everyday life.

As Chloe spends time with Toshi, neither of whom are fluent in the other’s native language, it becomes self-evident that they don’t necessarily need spoken language to communicate. Though she grieves Peter, Chloe has an undeniable chemistry with Toshi. They share knowing looks, sleep on each other’s shoulders, and fall into complementary rhythms. The romantic feelings that develop between them for the most part remain unspoken, complicating their easy relationship. However, yet again the reliance on unspoken communication is perhaps detrimental to understanding Chloe and the nuances of her relationships. Though much of their dynamic can be recognized implicitly, some more substantive dialogue would’ve deepened their connection. Takashi Ueno is nevertheless a charismatic costar as Toshi, with his endearingly unkempt hair and soft, probing facial expressions complementing Juri’s performance.

“blood” blends together vignettes from Chloe’s trip into a languid snapshot of her life that perhaps leaves us only slightly more keen to her interiority than we were at the beginning. The story is in no hurry to get anywhere, and there isn’t a remarkable emotional arc for any of the characters. “blood” won the award at Sundance for Uncompromising Artistic Vision — a recognition it certainly lives up to as it refuses to yield to genre or audience expectations. It is certainly commendable for adhering to its distinctive storytelling style; it’s just that this style isn’t in service of a powerful enough narrative.

—Arts Chair Jaden S. Thompson can be reached at jaden.thompson@thecrimson.com