Samayou koyubi

Since the age of five, Ryosuke has been persistently pursued by Momoko, the least attractive girl in their village. Her affection for him is so intense that she undergoes surgery to make her appearance more appealing to him, yet he remains uninterested. Ryosuke prefers brief flings, such as one with a gangster boss’s girlfriend. When the boss discovers the affair, he retaliates by having Ryosuke’s little finger severed. In a twist of fate, the finger ends up with Momoko, who uses it to create a clone of Ryosuke, allowing her to finally have him—or at least a version of him—for herself. This all unfolds within the first five minutes of Lisa Takeba’s impactful feature debut. As in her earlier short films, the director, who honed her skills in advertising and video game writing, blends a variety of genres and styles, including science fiction, gangster narratives, hospital erotica, and animation. The result is a frenetic and surreal film with a genuine emotional core. © IFFR