Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

Director: Ryūsuke Hamaguchi

Script: Ryûsuke Hamaguchi

Cinematography: Yukiko Iioka

Producer: Satoshi Takada

Cast: Kotone Furukawa, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Katsuki Mori

Japan 2021
121′

In Hamaguchi’s film, heroines (because they are the center of each story) are constantly returning: to a finished romance, a mistake from the past, the town of their first love. But it is also a journey towards a growing feeling of uncanniness, because the film, which starts out like a classic morality tale, slowly moves towards fantasy, where a twist of fate takes on extraordinary features. The director of Happy Hour and Asako I & II spins the wheel of fortune with masterful skill, and the scenes, shot mainly in interiors two actors each are phenomenal, nuanced portraits of relationships. Brilliant observations and a discreet sense of humor are accompanied by a sadness that makes Hamaguchi’s film a quiet sigh over wasted opportunities and our imperfection.

A brilliant, beautiful, deceptive meditation on the forces that move us all.

Alissa Wilkinson, Vox

Hamaguchi is a master of character development.

Valerie Complex, Deadline Hollywood Daily

A charming trio of bittersweet Tokyo stories.

Stephen Dalton, Hollywood Reporter

This trio of stories is elegant and amusing, with a delicacy of touch and real imaginative warmth.

Peter Bradshaw, Guardian

Young Classics