Before you settle down for this movie, know what you're getting into. This is a minimalist film in the vein of Jim Jarmusch or Ming-liang Tsai. If you enjoy the works of either those directors, you'll probably appreciate this kind of filmmaking, although I don't think this is as successful as those directors' better works. If you aren't into this kind of thing, you'll probably be bored to tears.
I'm a fan of both Jarmusch and Ming-liang, and even my patience was tested at times. I appreciate what Nami Iguchi is trying to do here, and I think she is a talent to look out for in the future. She has a good eye for composition, draws out fine naturalistic performances from her actors, and orchestrates some lovely moments between them. But the screenplay meanders all over the place and the drama never amounts to much. After a while, the languorous mood starts to feel like a purely stylistic affectation, and it keeps the film from generating momentum. It's way too long.
I would recommend this only to fans of Jarmusch-style minimalism. There are enough moments of brilliance scattered throughout to make the movie worth your time, but just barely.
Plot summary
The 19-year-old Mirume is at the art academy and mainly spends his time with his friends En and Domoto. One day they give a lift to the 39-year-old Yuri who walks around the street without shoes. She appears to be the new, quirky lithography teacher at his college. She isn't a typical college professor, having a quirky sense of humor and unpredictable personality. When she invites Murume to her studio, she playfully seduces the still naive 19 year old student. A sexual relationship soon develops between them. When his friend En finds out about this, she decides to meet this woman face to face. This leads to confusing situations for both Mirume and En. When school shuts down for the summer break, Yuri heads north to her home in Kiryu City, and after uncovering her address, Mirume follows her home. Things become more complicated when Murume discovers that she is married to a much older man.
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