Wife of a Spy (2020 TV Movie) User Reviews

not enough has gotten told about 1930s and '40s Japan

[lee_eisenberg · 8/10 · 21 November 2022]

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Supai no tsuma" ("Wife of a Spy" in English) is about a woman in 1940s Japan married to a man suspected of being a double agent. It's one of those movies that manages to be romantic and intense at the same time.

One thing about it that I hope catches viewers' attention is the Japanese authorities' discussion of events in China. It refers to Unit 731, where Japanese troops performed horrific scientific experiments on the Chinese. This was just one of countless monstrous war crimes carried out by the Japanese troops in the '30s and '40s. While there was some prosecution of these atrocities, most of them got swept under the rug. No doubt it'll take years to fully expose the war criminals. It's perfectly understandable why Satoko and Yusaku do what they do.

Anyway, it's a fine look at Japan. The generations since WWII have been unwilling to fully acknowledge the country's war crimes; maybe the younger generation will be willing to.

A perfect combination of melodrama and spy thriller

[danybur · 8/10 · 14 September 2021]

Summary

Remarkable espionage melodrama in Japan in 1940, which unfolds to the rhythm of the vicissitudes of the couple of the protagonist marriage, in a perfect combination of both plots.

Review:

Yusako Fukuhara (Issey Takahashi) is a wealthy cloth merchant who lives with his wife Satoko (Yu Ahoi) in Kobe. It is 1940, shortly before Japan joined the Axis with Germany and Italy at a time when the country is traversed by a nationalist and traditionalist wave, with surveillance of customs and which is suspicious of westernized Japanese, as they both are. On the other hand, Satoko intervenes as an actress in homemade crime videos that her husband films. Yusako and Satoko constitute a westernized marriage and he frequently deals with foreign clients. When a British client of hers is accused of espionage, the marriage falls in the crosshairs of the military, in particular Yasuharu Tsumori, a new squad leader (Masahiro Higashide), who was Satoko's youthful love. Yusako's immediate business trip to Manchuria will raise suspicions and trigger subsequent events.

Where does this spy melodrama actually begin? Where is the tip of his intrigue? This is one of the strengths of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's film and one of his basic questions, since the story is developed from Satoko's point of view. It is not a complicated and overwhelming puzzle posed from the beginning as such, but rather a succession of veils of an espionage intrigue that delicately fall depending on the dynamics of the couple, to the rhythm of the distrust, jealousy and loyalties that Satoko is experiencing, who from a protected and childish role begins to play a more active role in the relationship, while the domestic placidity of the story can turn to horror. This structure and tone, added to the time in which the story takes place and its delightful reconstruction, bring the film closer to Hitchcock's universe.

Kurosawa leads us with his film to a kind of prodigious coda, where he gives an account of History with an admirable visual power.

Simple yet profound

[shoshanim · 7/10 · 19 December 2022]

It's no nail biter by any means, but more a gradual awakening by the "Wife of a Spy" to the harsh realities of the world she now lives in. She wraps this new found awareness in a romantic veil in an attempt to become closer to her husband, who she at first suspects of cheating on her, only to discover something far more serious and dangerous as well.

Her comfortable daily life becomes upended, but she manages to turn it into an opportunity to become something - someone - new, and hopefully more appreciated by her husband.

He though, the husband, remains somewhat more of a mystery to me, leaving me with more questions than answers.

Was he the one who tipped off the police to her hiding place in the freighter?

Up until the nurse from Manchuria was murdered, had he actually intended to leave with her for the US all along, without his wife? In short, was he ever truly honest with his wife about who he really was in their marriage, besides his being a spy?

Those questions about him bug me, but make the wife all the more heroic in the choices she had to make, and what she had to endure.

I also wonder if it was based on a true story as the film ends with blurbs about what happened to them after the war.

There are many reviews that go into a lot of technical aspects of the film about this and that, but that sounds like so much nonsense to me. It's not a fancy film- doesn't try to be. It's a simple love story set in a perilous time that reveals what people are made of, and the choices they will have to make as a result.

That's it in a nutshell to me. It is a good film and worthwhile to watch.

A competent thriller that manages to keep the audience engaged and guessing throughout

[dmansel · 7/10 · 23 January 2022]

Wife of a Spy, a historical drama set in Japan during the early days of World War II, centers on Yu Aoi as Satoko Fukuhara, the wife of a businessman (Takahashi) whom she slowly suspects may be a spy for the United States. Be warned, if you're looking for a tense, taught thriller that showcases the art of spycraft, intrigue, and narrow escapes, Wife of a Spy is not that. Instead, it's a solid character driven film devoid of any bombast or spectacle. The film takes its time letting the audience get to know the characters before upending Satoko's happiness, plunging her into a world of lies and deceit.

As Satoko is slowly drawn in to Yusaku's world, her transition from timidity to confidence is almost immediate, making game-changing decisions that forces Yusaku to include her into his plans. Hunting the couple is Masahiro Higashide as Taiji, an ambitious and recently promoted member of military police. Taiji, a childhood friend of Satoko, brings the tension to the film as his affections for Yusaku's wife make for source of emotional conflict for Satoko. While not on screen often, Higashide plays the brooding, power hungry officer well, and shines in his final confrontation with Aoi. The final resolution is painful and melancholic as audiences are taken through the ride of 1940s Japan to settle at the final days of the war.

Starring Yu Aoi and Issey Takahashi, Wife of a Spy's main strength lies in its acting. Issey Takahashi's relaxed, almost informal body language conveys a sense of confidence, of self assuredness in the actions he's taking against his home country. Takahashi is equal parts charming and affable as he moves through the film, interacting with businessmen and officers of the law alike in an easy manner that almost appears effortless. It's this disarming nature that beguiles both the characters and us the audience, and it's only when Yusaku's plans are fully revealed that we realize just how calculating Yusaku has been the entire time.

Still, for all of Takahashi and Higashihde's prowess, the star of the film is Yu Aoi as the titular spy's wife. Aoi's transition from happy housewife to woman of conviction to something entirely different by the movie's end is played masterfully by Aoi as Satoko navigates through the twists and turns of the story. Alternating between ignorance, anger, fear, and confidence, Aoi employs a full acting clinic as she carries the film.

Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Wife of a Spy burns slow, but never manages to bore. Within its 115 minute runtime, Kurosawa has created a world of 1940s Japan littered with possible friends and possible foes. Never explicitly stating who the Fukuharas can and can't trust, the audience is left just as wary as the characters are in their decision making. Kurosawa bring a realistic feel to the movie, choosing to use natural light often to illuminate his characters, helping to lend credence to the period piece. The almost Hitchcockian feel of the film is expertly handled by the veteran director, and while the Wife of a Spy never quite reaches the level of thrills that say Rear Window or Vertigo provide, it still manages to craft a solid story featuring hidden motivations and crisis of identity.

Overall, Wife of a Spy is a competent thriller that manages to keep the audience engaged and guessing throughout. Thanks to a shocking third act twist that's sure to catch viewers off their guard, the film is elevated from standard spy fare to something deeper and more appreciative of the subgenre. More focused on the themes of strong relationship ties and national pride than on espionage, Kurosawa's movie is clever in its approach to the story, choosing to stay focused on Satoko and her desires over Yusaku's scheming. Strong performances from Yu Aoi and Issey Takahashi, as well as the direction from Kiyoshi Kurosawa combine to place it on a list of worthy must-see movies of 2021. Wife of a Spy hits theaters in a limited release September 17th in New York and September 24th in Los Angeles.

Intriguing, frightening, unexpected!

[dudumnz · 7/10 · 1 July 2022]

Considering it's seemingly cheap, it's still a very enjoyable piece. Direction, screenplay, footage and actings are greatly done and the plot is unusual and surprising, although threre are some gaps that could be better elucidated it's solid enough.

A good film with a positive message for a Covid-infested world, but the Best Director Award?

[JuguAbraham · 6/10 · 19 March 2021]

It's an average, feel-good film at best with a very good universal message. How the Jury of Venice 2020 film festival headed by Cate Blanchett bestowed this film with the Best Director Award beats logic. Was it because the lead character was a film director? That must have pleased jury member Joanna Hogg. This incredible jury thought that Konchalovsky did not deserve the Best Director award for "Dear Comrades!" a vastly superior work but instead bestowed it the Jury's Special Prize as a consolation. This same jury gave another below par film from Mexico's Michel Franco called "The New Order" the Grand Jury Prize. The Bosnian film "Quo vadi, Aida?" was overlooked but thankfully it is in the Oscar race. Look closely at the awards and the jury seemed to give some award or other to all the nominees, often having questionable merit. Luckily, for us the Gold Lion went to a deserving work "Nomadland."

The script will make you recall "The Shawshank Redemption" though the tales are in different settings.

"Wife of a spy" is a good vehicle for the Kill Bill 1 and 2 actor Issey Takahashi. Little else.

Conflicts in life and world

[moviesknight · 7/10 · 17 December 2021]

Women as the background entity in the man's world. Conflicts in the world and your life both are equally capable to destroy your life. But too long for my liking, very slow and disoriented in the start but I believe director had his reasons. Some scenes are very well directed and acted. You can feel them. The story is bit open at start and gets all wrapped up in the final act. Acting and cinematography are the two take aways from this movie.

Cry for this crazy world

[highjin · 10/10 · 13 March 2021]

I don't know how good country you live in, But want you to remember that someone live in a crazy world that handful hypocrites get all of justices. Do you know how suffocated reality it is that most of the movies released in your country are only praise and glorify the government? From that point of view, the fact that such a movie comes out is a proof that the society and the artist healthy. The last scream of Aoi Yu is the same as someone's scream today who is choked by fascism more than a pandemic. If you are an artist, I think you can feel the same way. Of course, if you're a true artist, not a flattering Lier. Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films always have a keen message about the world, but this film seems to express a more plain and honest feeling. Although it is a political film, it does not miss a sense of cinematic tension. And Aoi Yu's acting was really as beautiful as her appearance. I feel infinite gratitude for exist of such a film, In a fascist world everyone call themselves justice. Because of these art, I can breathe.

Love in a crazy time

[s-15230 · 7/10 · 11 October 2021]

A good portrait of trust and suspicion in the ultra right nationalist period. The film in the film reflects the story of characters, which structure was developed in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's latest film Drive My Car. However, some of the scene is lacking in logic and therefore makes me feel unreal.

Half way... colourless!

[panta-4 · 5/10 · 8 May 2021]

Four minutes short of two hours, this was a film which made me despise the modern technology used in cinematography. Watch this film to see how the great screenplay, outstanding acting and potential for a masterpiece can be ruined by choosing something you are not fully familiar with, like electronic cameras! Kiyoshi Kurosawa agreed to make a movie on a limited TV broadcaster budget, so that was what we got! A colourless and dull looking cinematography which came half way for everything!

A part of the Japanese history not often visited by the Japanese filmmakers was just touched and never fully explored, slowly dissolving into a personal drama of trust and betrayal...

If you like dull colours, reserved directing, no outdoor scenes and very dark indoor rooms, some agony with few tears, no sex and maybe a kiss, bad acting from foreigners and excellent acting from Yû Aoi and Issey , sit down and prepare your snacks and drinks!

Cinema Omnivore - Wife of a Spy (2020) 7.7/10

[lasttimeisaw · 8/10 · 30 April 2021]

"However, in Kurosawa and Hamaguchi's oriental frame of mind, a spy game doesn't consist of breakneck automobile chases, fisticuffs or firefights, its tradecraft is solely on an intellectual and psychological level, to Satoko and Yusaku, it is about how to outsmart the military police and defect to USA, with kompromat in their possession, to pressurize Americans to wade into the war and expedite the end of this worldwide atrocity. This is the bigger picture, nevertheless, in the smaller one, WIFE OF A SPY is, first and foremost, a woman's awakening from a repressed patriarchal society, Satoko has no voice, no ambition, a content and obedient wife, clinging to the constancy and uxoriousness from Yusaku. Once she changes her mind about his noble cause (all of a sudden it seems), her life is revivified, somehow, she finally can do something meaningful, which they can accomplish together, she becomes naively proud of being "the wife of a spy", and it also consolidates their crumpling marriage, that is the ideal side of their dangerous mission, in return, she is requested to have plenary trust in Yusaku."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks.

The spy who married me.

[Pjtaylor-96-138044 · 6/10 · 29 April 2022]

'Wife Of A Spy (2020)' is a historical thriller in which a woman begins to suspect her husband is hiding something when he returns from a business trip. Set during the second world war, the flick focuses on the way in which Japan is changing and demands its citizens do the same. The central character initially cares only for her own safety and happiness (which includes the safety and happiness of her husband), but soon becomes to realise that it's impossible to remain apolitical in an increasingly political world. War cannot be ignored, no matter how hard you try. Though it may sound like a suspenseful story full of enigmatic intrigue, the narrative actually presents itself mostly as a quiet drama. It focuses far more on its characters than on its plot, though these elements do obviously influence each other heavily, and is much slower than you may expect. Claims that it's Kurosawa's attempt at Hitchcock seem slightly off the mark. That doesn't mean it's bad, of course. It's generally compelling and has moments of more concentrated excitement. Plus, its overall tapestry is fairly tactile and it takes a slightly distinct approach to its material. It doesn't seem to quite know how to wrap things up, opting to present an extended epilogue that feels fairly baggy and even a little thematically dissonant. The English-language acting, as infrequent as it is, is noticeably bad; it honestly takes you out of the experience. Despite its issues, though, it's an entertaining affair overall. It's a well-achieved film in almost every technical aspect. Ultimately, it's a solid character study by way of a WWII espionage thriller.

starts with a cry...

[ops-52535 · 5/10 · 29 April 2021]

And end with an even longer cry. The story though might be interresting, but not exactly as exciting as could be.its made in a japanese customly humble and cultural driven manner, and very theatrical in its execution. Its a fingerpinchsize of a daring topic to raise, namely the years before ww2 japan, where manchuria was the battle field, the nipponese fascism near its summit, and where spies operated everywhere and upon everyone. Being a wife to a spy is a dire choice of existece, and when you dont know what to believe, even from your right hand side, then tragedy is pretty near.

Its a pretty classical japanese production on a tv broadcaster budget, its pretty rigid on outdoor scenes, and plentyfilled with tears and agony. Some historical images there are but not of the cruel stuff. There are no sex and nudity, barely a kiss to see, but drama youll get if you want that. The grumpy old man had expected more due to norwegian broadcaster nrk's ''the film police'' review.

Slow and many unanswered questions

[kjw0906 · 4/10 · 7 November 2021]

Could have been a really good and rare glimpse into a time the Japanese do not want to talk about. So many times the movie just drug on with little dialog or meaning. Also more questions raised than answered. Was it based on a true story? Were the films shown of the atrocities the actual films? What happened to their friend who became their interrogater? Did the husband sell out his wife so he could escape? If he didn't sell her out, who did?

Underwhelming

[net_orders · 5/10 · 4 December 2021]

This is a small film with large potential. A cat-and-mouse wartime (WWII) drama with a noble cause and as seen from the perspective of a loving (and pampered) wife of an executive torn between her conscience and loyalty to her homeland that causes her to abandon her mostly cocoon like existence. Unfortunately, things don't seem to work out so well in execution. The Director (along with a script credited to three writers) appears to be tossing things about (like genres, subplots, and character motives) to see what might work (often symptomatic of having too many writers!). The result is a movie that waivers and wanders to the point where the audience is left with little to get behind and route for, and, eventually, may just lose interest. Actors deliver uneven performances. Actress Yû Aoi (playing the Wife of the title) definitely looks the part, but appears to struggle to act the part. An uneven and meandering script may be part of the problem. The film is too long with the ending (when it finally shows up) a bit of a let down especially since the script repeatedly seems to be building up to some sort of a surprise (or at least worth waiting for) finish which never really materializes. Bummer. Scene lighting is far from ideal. Interiors are usually under lighted to the point where actors become invisible. Exterior night scenes also suffer from this tendency. Production corner cutting is oblivious. Exterior sets are cramped and seem too small. Much is heard off camera, but never seen such as traffic, trains, cargo ships, and explosions. The same taxi prop appears to be reused. Music is virtually absent with an incongruous closing sore obviously just tacked on. Subtitles are close enough and some closing credits are translated. Not especially recommended. Viewed at the JICC Virtual Winter Film Fest. WILLIAM FLANIGAN.