Drama

A Double Life

二重生活

Directed by: Yoshiyuki Kishi
2016 / 126 minutes / Under 15s must be accompanied by an adult

What is existence in contemporary Japan?

Screened as part of JFF 2017

A Double Life is a deeply contemplative film that examines the nature of intimacy, privacy and vulnerability in personal relationships. Yoshiyuki Kishi, an award-winning documentary filmmaker, directs his first feature-length film and takes inspiration from French artist Sophie Calle’s work following strangers, where she tails people for the pleasure of following them.

Tama (Mugi Kadowaki, The Sun) is struggling to find a direction for her Philosophy thesis. Her professor (Lily Franky, After the Storm), encourages her to focus on a single subject, rather than many, and tail them without their knowledge.

She chances upon a stranger, Shiro (Hiroki Hasegawa, Shin Godzilla), at a bookstore one day and begins to follow him around as the subject of her thesis. When she discovers he’s having an affair, she becomes completely absorbed in finding out more and neglects her own relationships, including that of her boyfriend (Masaki Suda, Pink & Gray).

Shot in a voyeuristic documentary style, the audience becomes as much an accomplice to Tama’s surveillance as they are a witness to the consequences that unfold. Will you be entranced or ashamed of the words and deeds that unfold?