Asako I & II (2018) | Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Asako I & II
(Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2018, 119 min, Japan, Japanese w/ subtitles, Color, DCP)

A mysterious and intoxicating pop romance begins with Asako, a young woman who meets and falls madly in love with a drifter, who one day drifts right out of her life. Two years later, Asako sees him again — or, rather, a young, solid businessman named Ryohei who bears a striking resemblance to her old flame. They begin building a happy life together until traces of Asako’s past start to resurface.

— Introduced by Prof. Yunchuan Chen (AMES)

“One of the Ten Best Movies of the Year. A beguiling film. An unpredictable study of trust, willfulness, and modern Japan.”— K. Austin Collins, Vanity Fair

“Critic’s Pick! Bewitching and sometimes unsettling… Breathtaking… Hamaguchi executes [the premise] with elegantly rendered realism.” — Glenn Kenny, The New York Times