Set in the traditional city of Kyoto, Japan, this deeply poetic TV movie revolves around Chieko who becomes bewildered and troubled as she discovers the true facets of her past. With the harmony and time-honored customs of a Japanese backdrop, the story becomes poignant as Chieko’s longing and confusion develops.
Acting
Ueto's twin performances—same face, shattered souls.
Cinematography
Kyoto as character: beautiful, suffocating, complicit.
Score
Sparse traditional strings that know when to stop.
Director
Nobuaki Izaki
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Adapts Yasunari Kawabata's novel, which won the Nobel Prize partly for this exploration of traditional Japanese femininity crumbling.
Ueto filmed both sisters' scenes back-to-back in single days; crew used colored contact lenses to help her switch personas.
JP
