Gukoroku – Traces of Sin

愚行録

Directed by: Kei Ishikawa
2016 / 120 minutes / Strictly 18+

本語の解説は映画.comへ

FOOLISH ACTS CAN HAVE DANGEROUS REPERCUSSIONS

Screened as part of JFF 2017

Investigative journalist Takeshi Tanaka (Satoshi Tsumabaki,Rage) is going through a difficult time. Charged with child neglect, his younger sister Mitsuko (Hikari Mitsushima, Life and Death on the Shore) is in custody awaiting trail while her infant daughter remains in a critical condition in hospital.

To take his mind off these matters, he elects to reexamine the cold case murder of the seemingly perfect Takou family – an elite salaryman, a charming wife and their young daughter stabbed to death in their home. Through interviews with former classmates, friends and colleagues of the deceased couple, he seeks a fresh perspective on the murders for his article.

As Tanaka encounters more people close to the couple, he unveils a tangled web of vicious, elitist social circles. And with every testimony he hears, he uncovers the perverted nature of each individual’s desires and ambitions. But such ambitions come with unrealised costs, and some secrets may be better left untold.

Who is behind the brutal slaying of the Takou family? What is their motive?