Gûzen to sôzô

Three short stories consisting entirely of long conversations between friends, acquaintances, or somewhere in between. Ryusuke Hamaguchi continues to excel at believably portraying very human behavior and relationships in slightly heightened scenarios.

These three unrelated stories feel cut from the same cloth: they each involve long conversations and they each prompt reflection on the slipperiness of relational memory. Each of the stories settles in on a significant element of distinct human relationships: the complexities of dating and friendship, the way that the desperate need for affirmation leads to destructive behaviors, and the way childhood relationships can both create voids and extend a sense of love and security.

This seems a bit dull at first perhaps but I did definitely get into it by the time the 2nd situation and ensuing conversation happened - the honeytrap. Its got some quite thoughtful dialogue following chance encounters and interesting scenarios. I liked the irony of some of the big topics being discussed in such mundane domestic or urban settings somehow. The talk about relationships and self worth hit home. Its surprisingly poignant now and again and I definitely enjoyed watching it overall.

Well acted, filmed and executed. I thought the first story was a bit stupid and uninteresting story wise. The second one I enjoyed more and the third one I thought was a bit boring.

First short: 5/10. Second short: 6/10. Third short 9/10.

Life told in snapshots as we try to navigate the hurt.

A very literary script delivered extremely directly, as if the actors were performing the repetitive script reading in Drive My Car. The magical coincidences of each encounter clashing against repeated reminders that you're watching actors perform a script.

Three stories with hardly (or no) emotional or dramatic build-up across each one: the first one is a well acted tale of uninteresting relationship issues, the second one is sexy, and the third is intriguing for how it implements the fantasy. There's some moments of largeness in this small and unfussy film, but I'm not heaps excited by it all.

respect to the mom who waited for her son's Blu-ray because streaming wasn't an option. long live physical media.

Although not my favourite of Ryusuke's in comparison to Drive My Car and his epic Happy Hour, there's a mesmerizing narrative that continues to convince me how unreliable the human mind is at predicting our outcomes. Camerawork that is decisively human and again dialogue to take away with confidence on life's spontaneity.

Every love story is as natural as scripted, as universal as particular, as mundane as spectacular. Hamaguchi bends genres in three sections - one about best friends and the man they both like in different stages, former heartbreaker girlfriend and the current magic connection; a married woman engaged in free love experiences trying to seduce a writer, but derailing big time; two old lovers who think they meet again, but not, then let's just pretend we did. Deeply felt and carefully put together.

Viewed October 2, 2021. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy is built out of long scenes of people talking and processing; through his open, unhurried takes and the subtlety of the performances, Hamaguchi somehow manages to capture his protagonists' inner evolution. I liked the second story the best because it was funny and sad in equal measure, and because it's really only about the horrors of writing and sending emails.

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