Makoto Tanaka is 40-years-old and has remarried. His wife is Nanae and they care for 2 daughters from Nanae's prior marriage. Makoto tries to have an ordinary family. Nanae then becomes pregnant. Afterwards, things begin to change among the family members.
Acting
Asano's restrained desperation; you see him collapsing inward.
Direction
Mishima lets silence do the screaming. Devastating restraint.
Writing
No villains, just people failing each other in recognizable ways.
Director
Yukiko Mishima
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Tadanobu Asano reportedly stayed in character between takes, refusing to engage with the child actors to maintain Makoto's emotional distance.
The title references a French poem about strangers—fitting for a film where everyone in this 'family' remains fundamentally unknowable to each other. Director Mishima deliberately cast against type: Asano was known for cool rebels, not crumbling salarymen.
JP
