Catfish, which were long ago thought to cause earthquakes, have also been seen as symbols of the hope of reconstruction. Through the political science of “disasters and reconstruction,” this voluble essay film evokes the feel of modern Japanese society imbued with both a sense of stagnation and a premonition of catastrophe. It shares its geographically and historically macro perspective that goes beyond the human scale with the filmmaker’s With Friction, As Friction, which was screened at the 2018 Image Forum Festival.