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AkiandNaokoarechildhoodfriendswhoaredriftingapartasadults.Immersedinherfamilylife,Naokonowhasahusbandanddaughter;Aki,ontheotherhand,remainssingleandisonleavefromworkduetoapersonalcrisis.Theplotmightsoundfamiliarbutithasneverbeentoldlikethis.ThedirectorKusanoNatsukastagestheinteractionsthroughanactors’table-readand,asthelinesarerepeated,thescenesgraduallydevelopintoon-locationconversations.Moreover,sherepositionsthedramaticpeakofthestorytothebeginning:AkihasmurderedNaoko’sdaughter.Structurallyinventive,Kusano’sdaringcinemaimplements‘distantiation’effectstogettotheheartoffriendshipissuesattimeswhenlifehassettled.Whiletherepetitionsconveythesuffocationofrolepatternsinbothfriendshipandfamily,alineleftoutoraddedinunsettlesandremindsuslifecantakeunexpectedturns.