Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on May 2012

Filmmaker Kishu Izuchi is a whirlwind of activity. He has for years written scripts, most notably with pink-film legend Takahisa Zeze (Izuchi’s credits include co-writing the screenplay for the beloved Dream of Garuda). Izuchi has also directed six films and founded Eiga Ikki, a film movement which organizes screenings and promotes the independent spirit in cinema as well as putting out a film newspaper.

This work is a twisting romantic thriller that doesn’t shy away from his previous concentration on the erotic, but concentrates on building the tension within the relationships. Ugawa (Masaki Miura) is a teacher at an upscale private high school when lawyer Inamura (Yoko Chosokabe) contacts him about a woman with a mysterious past named Mei (Ai Sazamine) who has recently returned to town. Six years earlier when Ugawa was dating a fellow teacher named Michiyo (Muku Akazawa) she befriended him from nowhere at a supermarket, seduced him and dragged him into a living hell when her chimpira ex-boyfriend Mayama (Sohee Park) returns. Now she is back. What game is she playing?

Though slow moving, the film develops the characters and mystery well. It’s not a masterpiece, but engaging. (105 min)