I'm sure many people would feel confused once the credits roll down the screen. I definitely was. Usually with movies, there are clear events escalating to a climax and falling down into a natural end. It hits you, "Oh. The movie's over." Either it delivered or it did not. With 'Shindo', I was jolted from the movie by the black screen because I was waiting for something more because the story did not feel complete. This, though, doesn't mean it was an awful movie or something I did not enjoy. I simply found 'Shindo' an oddball. At the beginning, we're introduced to a middle-schooler who dislikes playing the piano but is attracted to the sound of it playing one day as she's walking down her neighborhood. It turns out the one playing the bad tune (according to her) is Wao Kikuna, who's practicing for his music school audition. A very strange friendship(?) begins from that day when she gives him some tips to improve his playing. Now you'd think there's plot right there, right? The audition would be the perfect climax, albeit cliche. But it's still off the mark because the audition is never the central story. Uta comes over at random times and spends time in Wao's room while he plays or does nothing. There's a bond between the two, something that's not quite friendship but not yet love, age gap notwithstanding. Uta is the classical prodigy while Wao's the traditional hard-worker who lacks that touch of talent but is willing to make up for it with effort. Uta seemed to inspire Wao and add that something more to his piano playing, and Uta enjoyed his "sucky" playing. There were also characters that seemed like potential love interests for the two but the story never went there. There's Uta's father's story, which was never explained properly. Uta seemed to have something going on with her ear, but we never get to know if it's merely psychological or physical. With these missing elements, you end up with a story that never truly goes somewhere and many unspoken and nameless things that leave interpretation up for grabs. Having said all of this, I do not regret watching this movie. I'm less frustrated than confused. All the same, I liked the calm and quiet atmosphere it had and enjoyed the undefined relationship between Uta and Wao. Though it's frustrating, maybe things are better left unsaid.