- Original title: よこがお, ‘Side Profile’
- Directed by: Koji Fukada
- Cast: Mariko Tsutsui, Mikako Ichikawa, Sosuke Ikematsu, Miyu Ogawa
A home-care nurse’s somewhat normal life is threatened when her nephew is arrested for kidnapping a girl. The time – the current and the past – is overlapped, and events are intertwined. Even though the plot seems cryptic, it looks like a fate, progressing through the sole path without an alternative.
A simple link as relatives threatens the personal and social life of a protagonist. Undesired or minor – at least for the protagonist – personal relationships become the life-changing point in the worst possible time.
The film asks you what you might or can do when unexpected events threaten and turn your life upside down. It is easy to say that we need to stand firm, fight against others’ prejudices, and start a new life. But is that a reality or a fantasy?
The story might look unrealistic, the plot seems cryptic, and the scenes may look fragmented. But the psychological struggles and the process of rationalization keep the film in the realm of reality.
Scriptorium 