The Cinematheque

Vancouver Premiere

“In every sense, a true masterpiece.”

Hasumi Shigehiko

Already a critics’ favourite in his native Japan, Miyake Sho should see his international following surge thanks to this Locarno-crowned adaptation of two manga by Tsuge Yoshiharu. That source material, a summer tale of seaside attraction and a winter sojourn at a secluded inn, becomes a delicate exploration of narrative invention in the supple hands of Miyake. Crucial to hinging his diptych together is Li (Shim Eunkyung), a Korean screenwriter in Japan. What begins as a film (within the film) written by Li—one pregnant with romantic possibilities between two disaffected strangers—transforms into the story of the artist herself after the death of a mentor drives her into the mountains. There, a chilly reception by a forlorn innkeeper (Shinichi Tsutsumi) gradually thaws into something else. As themes in the second scenario start resembling those in the first, questions of authorship—within the film and of the film itself—are subtly raised.

In Japanese and Korean with English subtitles

Golden Leopard
Locarno 2025

“Elegant, sensitive … [Unfolds] in a playful but deeply felt register that is perhaps more melancomedy than tragicomedy, but that delivers the rare satisfaction of watching modest, thoughtful people find just what they need in the last place they’d expect it.”

Jessica Kiang, Sight and Sound

“Beguiling … An eloquently structured miniature … Rich in doublings, parallels, and reflective surfaces, layered to entrancing, cumulatively moving effect.”

Guy Lodge, Variety