Yuichi (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is a construction worker who has lived his entire life in a dreary fishing village. With no girlfriend or friends, he spends his days working and looking after his grandparents, with no enjoyment in life other than his car.
Meanwhile, Mitsuyo (Eri Fukatsu) also lives a monotonous life pacing between the men’s clothing store where she works and the apartment where she lives with her sister. When the two lonely souls meet using an online dating site, they immediately fall in love with each other. But there’s a secret Yuichi had been keeping from Mitsuyo: Yuichi is the one suspected of killing the woman whose body was found at Mitsue Pass only a few days before... Read more …
As Yuichi and his new lover try to elude the police, the events that led up to the murder and its aftermath are revealed. We learn the stories of the victim, the murderer, and their families - stories of loneliness, love hotels, violence and desperation, exposing the inner lives of men and woman who are not everything they appear to be.
Who is the true “villain” here?
Like early Haneke without the intellectual rigour but enlivened with beautiful moments of realisation, it’s a film that becomes harder to take the more it sides with its “sensitive” star.
While it's hard to see why Villain was so feted by the Japanese academy, the moody, social-realist vibe makes this worth a look.
Generally a disappointment.
Copyright Third Window Filmsmacrobert, Stirling from Monday October 10, 2011. 7.30pm. More info: www.macrobert.org
General release. Check local listings for show times.
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