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From the moment that Kaho (Aobe Kawai) and Tomoya (Ryute Okomoto) announce their engagement to their friends in a restaurant, it’s clear that it isn’t going to work out as planned. Kaho’s shy glow of excitement just isn’t reciprocated by her fiancé. When the women go home after the meal, he joins friends Takeshi (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) and Kenichiro (Nao Okabe) to visit the latter’s girlfriend, Takako (Fusako Orabe), whose cat has just died and who is keen to spend the evening drinking and talking.

The men’s attitude towards Takako is disquieting throughout, if not exactly unusual. Because she lives alone and is happy to have sex without commitment, Takeshi disapproves of her, going so far as to put the security of her living situation at risk. Kenichiro finds her a convenient distraction from his not very secret feelings for Kaho. Tomoya wants to save her,...

Moving into adult life is quite a transition, overshadowed by many obstacles, decisions and changes within yourself, which can often feel soul-crushing and confusing. It is also one of those phases in the life of a person, which has inspired many artists to reminisce about the nature of growing up, how the choices one makes are based on free will or other aspects, such as social pressure or gender expectations. In his second feature, produced as his thesis at Tokyo University of Arts, Ryusuke Hamaguchi's “Passion” tells a story of a group of characters caught in the middle of that period of transition in their lives. It is a movie which not only highlights the director's gift of working with actors, but also his sense of place and time, resulting in a story which is both contemplative and captivating.

Film Movement has announced that “Passion” is opening theatrically on...

Moving into adult life is quite a transition, overshadowed by many obstacles, decisions and changes within yourself, which can often feel soul-crushing and confusing. It is also one of those phases in the life of a person, which has inspired many artists to reminisce about the nature of growing up, how the choices one makes are based on free will or other aspects, such as social pressure or gender expectations. In his second feature, produced as his thesis at Tokyo University of Arts, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Passion” tells a story of a group of characters caught in the middle of that period of transition in their lives. It is a movie which not only highlights the director’s gift of working with actors, but also his sense of place and time, resulting in a story which is both contemplative and captivating.

“Passion” screened at Close-Up Film Centre as part...