AkiandNaokoarechildhoodfriendswhoaredriftingapartasadults.Immersedinherfamilylife,Naokonowhasahusbandanddaughter;Aki,ontheotherhand,remainssingleandisonleavefromworkduetoapersonalcrisis.Theplotmightsoundfamiliarbutithasneverbeentoldlikethis.ThedirectorKusanoNatsukastagestheinteractionsthroughanactors’table-readand,asthelinesarerepeated,thescenesgraduallydevelopintoon-locationconversations.Moreover,sherepositionsthedramaticpeakofthestorytothebeginning:AkihasmurderedNaoko’sdaughter.
Structurallyinventive,Kusano'sdaringcinemaimplements‘distantiation’effectstogettotheheartoffriendshipissuesattimeswhenlifehassettled.Whiletherepetitionsconveythesuffocationofrolepatternsinbothfriendshipandfamily,alineleftoutoraddedinunsettlesandremindsuslifecantakeunexpectedturns.
