@celeste_writes
A patient, formally daring work — the cinematography lingers on empty rooms longer than most audiences will tolerate, but those who stay are rewarded with the most haunting final act of the year.
The film is a series of vignettes from Taiji Tonoyama's life and film clips, interspersed with a dialogue to camera by Nobuko Otowa, addressing the camera as if she is addressing Tonoyama himself, recollecting events in his life. The film focuses on Tonoyama's alcohol dependence and his various sexual relationships, as well as his film work with Shindo.
Quick Stats
8.5
TMDB Rating
2
Votes
2h 6m
Runtime
—
Budget
—
Box Office
—
Return
Key Crew
DirectorKaneto Shindō
WriterKaneto Shindō
CinematographyYoshiyuki Miyake
ComposerHikaru Hayashi
EditorYukio Watanabe
Production DesignShigemori Shigeta
Produced by
Kindai Eiga KyokaiDragon Films
Where to Watch
Streaming
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
FODBuy
Google Play MoviesSee more on TMDB → JustWatch
Critics & Reviews
3 featured@jhalberg
I walked in expecting another genre exercise and walked out feeling like I'd been eavesdropping on a confession. The lead performance is genuinely singular — a career-defining turn.
@priya_a
A few too many scenes feel borrowed from a better film, but the soundtrack and the production design carry the rest. Solid recommendation for fans of slow-burn European thrillers.
Cast
Naoto Takenaka
Taiji Tonoyama
Keiko Oginome
Kimie
Hideko Yoshida
Taiji's wife
Nobuko Otowa
Okaji
Yasuhito Hida
Kei Satō
K
Kagetora Miura
Kei Yamamoto
Yuriko Hirooka
Yoshiko
Y
Yûki Suzuki
Young Yoshiko
Hideyuki Kasahara
Yasuo
K
Kuriko Namino
Liquor Store Housewife
Mitsuko Baisho
Masayuki Shionoya
Tokuko Watanabe
Eimei Esumi
Yoji Tanaka
