Maelstrom

A young Japanese art student with big plans travels Europe (Berlin, also Vienna) and studies in the USA. She graduates in New York and has the best prospects for a job. On the way to the bank to withdraw the deposit for her new apartment, an accident happens. An everyday traffic accident with far-reaching consequences for the victim. When she wakes up in the hospital, she learns that she will never be able to walk again, confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. She returns to Japan, must return to the care of her parents, and learns anew to create her identity as a woman and an artist. Reconnecting and reconnecting with her former, so secure self becomes a frustrating and setback-filled major task in a Japan that has its own unique challenges for people with disabilities. During a stay in Denmark, she learns how to use a camera and how to edit.