In the near future, in order to secure a labour force, the development of life-extending treatments and related technologies is encouraged. One of these involves creating a human clone, known as a “Unit,” which is available only to a select few.

Shinji (Iura Arata), born into wealth and the father of a seemingly perfect family, is diagnosed as terminally ill and hospitalised for an organ transplant from his “Unit” as treatment. Anxious, he begins psychotherapy with psychologist Mahoro (Mizuhara Kiko) to help guide him through, and even asks to meet his “Unit,” which is normally forbidden.

However, in this face-to-face encounter with his “Unit,” unsullied by the outside world, a strange intimacy develops, bringing Shinji to a precipice as he dives into the deep recesses of his dreams in search of the self he once left behind.

Director Kai Sayaka, acclaimed worldwide for her debut feature film Red Snow, spent more than 20 years crafting this philosophical science fiction drama as a Japan-France co-production. The title Adabana, meaning “wasted flower” evokes the transient beauty and futility of existence in this aesthetically mesmerising film.