This candid New York love story explores the chaotic 40-year marriage of famed boxing painter Ushio Shinohara and his wife, Noriko. Anxious to shed her role as her overbearing husband's assistant, Noriko finds an identity of her own.
A bold portrait of artistic dysfunction that you can watch once for its fearless honesty, but maybe not twice.
The simple approach teases fascinating parallels between art and marriage: essential to both, it seems, are a thick skin and an optimism verging on madness.
Heinzerling's film is an attuned portrait of how mannerisms, in art and life, are built up and challenged; his camera, peeking out at the couple's flat and studios, is inquiring but fond, a silent member of the family.
Despite all the colours, beige is the colour that lingers.
The director's a fan, but this works best as a portrait of a marriage, as Ushio and nimble wife Noriko rattle around their dank flat trying to keep the love strong as the water drips and the bailiffs thump.
General release. Check local listings for show times.