2021 / Japan / Fiction / 42′

Directed by Zenzo Sakai

International premiere

Synopsis

Six months pregnant, psychotherapist Mami Kurata is finishing up her last day of clinical sessions before beginning maternity leave. But after she has seen off her final client, a troubled woman, Akemi, arrives at the clinic without an appointment, complaining of strange visions. Reluctantly, Kurata agrees to listen as Akemi begins her tale with the words, “I see a ghost…” As the mysterious woman’s dark story unfolds, Kurata starts to question her own grip on reality while being plunged deep into anxieties of her own.

Biography

Zenzo Sakai is a Tokyo-based film director. While he was enrolled in The Film School of Tokyo, he studied under Makoto Shinozaki and Kunitoshi Manda. The film Sharing, which he wrote, was awarded and screened at the Busan International Film Festival, the San Sebastian International Film Festival, and the Rotterdam International Film Festival. He is currently developing a series of film projects in Drunken Bird with the aim of creating entertainment works focused on Japanese suspense.

TECHNICAL SHEET

Writer   Zenzo Sakai

Cinematographer   Ryotaro Kawaguchi

Sound   Mari Suzuki

Editing   Zenzo Sakai

Mix   Kazuki Suzuki

Cast   Mutsumi Suzuki, Maki Nishiyama, Riku Tanaka, Takashi Matsumoto, Jin Taira, Risa Kameda, Takanori Kamachi

Music   Silver Valley (Akihiko Yoshikawa, Tomoya Kudo)

Sets   Zenzo Sakai

Special effects  Zenzo Sakai

Production   Drunken Bird – Zenzo Sakai – drunkenbird.running@gmail.com