Summary

Flashlight moves from a strained reunion to an event that forces public scrutiny, and then to a day of transit in Japan that rehearses the family’s balance of authority and care. Anne brings Louisa to meet Jeannette and Roland, the parents of Adrian, in order to see Tobias, the son she relinquished. The visit in a small home is brief and uneasy. Courtesy substitutes for recognition. Louisa leans against Anne as if to anchor the room, and Anne speaks in a steady voice that does not change what anyone feels.

Anne proposes an outing to make the day simpler. She drives everyone to a strawberry farm and accepts baskets at the edge of a field with no shade. Louisa picks and then drifts toward the tented stand. Tobias walks lightly along the rows, empty handed, as if to be somewhere other than...