Special Screenings

Japan / 2021 / 121min
Director：HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke

Comprised of three different stories, this anthology of short films deals with shared themes of "coincidence" and "speculation". In "Magic (or Something Less Assuring)" the chit-chat between female friends about a romantic interest reveals something unexpected. "Door Wide Open" finds a disgruntled student who lost a job offer due to insufficient school credits sending his girlfriend to the office of his university professor. "Once Again" tells of the reunion of two women whose high school reminiscing gradually veers in different directions. Prior to his latest film "Drive My Car" winning the award for Best Screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival, HAMAGUCHI’s "Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy" was awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Either film is outstandingly engrossing, but in one sense when compared with the unprecedented height reached by "Drive My Car", this film seems to be experimenting with various stagings and methodologies. How a number of these sprouts will lead to future HAMAGUCHI films is rather compelling.