Mitsuko, a thirty-something Japanese secretary, lives a very simple life devoid of ambition. She has an affair with Eiji, a rich, arrogant and newly divorced businessman who is intrigued by her retiring personnality but she quickly breaks up as he repeatedly tries to make her change her lifestyle and values. While Eiji ponders the reasons of the breakup, Mitsuko falls for one of her neighbours, a young slacker who has the same approach to life as her. But Mitsuko's new lover is fascinated by Eiji's power and social status... A triangle that will inevitably leave one of the characters "unloved".
Acting
Yōko Moriguchi's minimalist devastation—says everything by doing almost nothing.
Direction
Manda lets silences scream; Tokyo becomes a fourth character.
Writing
Love triangle where nobody's the villain—just human damage.
Director
Kunitoshi Manda
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of Japan's 2000s 'lost generation' cinema—economic stagnation as emotional paralysis.
JP
