"Ayano Tsukimi (64) is living in Nagoro, a village in eastern Iya on Shikoku, one of the four main islands of Japan. Not many people are still living there. For those who die or move away, Ayano Tsukimi is making lifesized dolls in their liking and puts them in places that were important to them. The dolls are scattered around the whole valley."

"A story about an artist who learns about the importance of the things unseen as she gets to draw a stranger’s portrait."

You know what? Just watch it. In full-screen and HD. Because that's the best/only way to figure out what's going on. (And then watch the "Compositing Breakdown" video and the "Making of the Exetor Shot" short, because they're great, as well. Unless you hate men behind curtains.)

Some really great world-building and character design on display in this one. The story's pretty basic (and predictable), yet powerful; there's something both primeval and Biblical about it. And the music (from Yuichiro Maeda) is pitch-perfect.

I love this. A surprising amount of punch for such a simple idea. When I first started watching, in fact, it seemed like an overly-simple idea; an idea that might look nice, but which wouldn't be able to generate any serious emotions impact or have any actual emotional heft. But I was wrong about that.

It doesn't over-explain or slow things down with (almost always) unnecessary backstory. And it trusts its story (and its audience), figuring that the former is simple enough and the latter smart enough to make it all work.