Tomoka Kurotani makes a valiant effort in this allegedly erotic tale of Kaori, a professional thirty-something caught between her passion for an older married man and the indulgence of an energetic, but less-fulfilling, youthful suitor. Kurotani has a rare beauty and is convincingly lustful and regretful when called upon. Murakami, the older man, has a natural charisma, unfortunately under-utilised as he has barely any screen time. On the other hand, Kikawada overacts furiously to such an extent that he will have a long and successful career in many instantly forgettable TV dramas.
The film's failure is a lack of vision on the part of the director. Once the triangle is established in the first third of the film, Kurotani just bounces around from one sex scene to the other without any dramatic escalation or character development. A friend of Kaori's who is struggling to conceive in her own faithful but sexless marriage is introduced as a character merely to telegraph the conclusion of the film. Given the lack of development in terms of character, internal conflict or theme, the climactic moment of the film leaves you thinking "So what?" I guess the director was aiming for an episodic feel, but it comes off as disjointed. A slightly lost, sexually irresponsible, old-enough-to-know-better female gets knocked up. Is anyone intrigued or moved by such a tale these days?
The film's failure is a lack of vision on the part of the director. Once the triangle is established in the first third of the film, Kurotani just bounces around from one sex scene to the other without any dramatic escalation or character development. A friend of Kaori's who is struggling to conceive in her own faithful but sexless marriage is introduced as a character merely to telegraph the conclusion of the film. Given the lack of development in terms of character, internal conflict or theme, the climactic moment of the film leaves you thinking "So what?" I guess the director was aiming for an episodic feel, but it comes off as disjointed. A slightly lost, sexually irresponsible, old-enough-to-know-better female gets knocked up. Is anyone intrigued or moved by such a tale these days?