Ordinary Japanese city boys Mutta and Hibito Namba adored capturing nature sounds on film in their childhood, striving to find something rare and memorable. The kids were lucky – they saw a UFO, soon hidden behind the lunar disk, and even managed to record something. The younger brother, 10‑year‑old Hibito, then firmly decided to become an astronaut and decades later achieved his goal by joining a NASA squad preparing for a lunar expedition. Mutta became a well‑known automotive designer, but at 35, in the prime of his life, he lost his job after a quarrel with his boss and was fired on a "wolf ticket." In the end, the younger brother approached fame while the elder sank to the bottom of life. In Japan, "losing face" is unacceptable, but it"s far worse when one loses purpose and meaning in life. Mutta, deeply experiencing a crisis, listened to an old recording of that day when they together saw the glowing sphere at his brother"s suggestion. Finally he remembered his childhood promise: "The older brother always walks ahead, and if you want to fly to the Moon, I will go to Mars." Thus Namba‑the elder regained a dream and hope, and fate offered a gift – the Japanese Aerospace Agency"s competition to participate in the Mars program. Will the "space brothers" meet on the dusty roads of distant planets and will apple trees bloom on Mars – we"ll find out soon!!
A-1 Pictures Inc. Japan