Bare Essence of Life chronicles Yojin, a mentally challenged young farmer, as he daily tends his grandmother's organic vegetable garden, putting all his effort into planting, plowing and harvesting, with poor results. The real meaning of his actions somehow escape him. Life with his grandmother is peaceful, until the day when an odd new feeling gets hold of Yojin. Out of the blue, a girl from Tokyo appears in the countryside. Machiko, a pretty nursery-school teacher, has come here to escape her past. Something Yojin has never experienced before creeps into his heart, and his actions are taken over by a desperate need to be next to Machiko and liked by her. He has the sudden urge to take control, a feeling that brings unexpected consequences. The darling of new Japanese cinema, Satoko Yokohama confirms her talent and brilliant originality with Bare Essence of Life, a satisfying tale of rural eccentricity that combines black humor and fantasy with romanticism and drama.