Rena
Tanaka, Haruka Igawa , Mao Miyaji , Shiro Sano, Koichi Sato.
Based on a novel by Otsuichi, Waiting in
the Dark is written and directed by Tengan Daisuke, the son of late
legendary director Imamura
Shohei. In his earlier films Aiki and Asian Beat: I Love Nippon,
not to mention his writing contributions to Miike
Takashi's Audition and his father's
Warm
Water Under a Red Bridge, Tengan has shown a knack for both
humanistic and corporeal storytelling, a talent that is again on
display in his latest film. Waiting in the Dark, a.k.a. Kurai Tokoro
de Machiawase, stars up-and-coming Taiwanese actor Wilson Chen.
Though Chen has spoken Japanese in some of his previous titles,
such as Sugar & Spice Fumi Zekka, this film presents a new challenge
as it is his first completely Japanese-language leading role. Opposite
Chen is popular actress Tanaka Rena (A
Day on the Planet), who he earlier collaborated with in Tripping,
and actor Sato Koichi (What the Snow Brings). Quiet, heartfelt,
and understated, Waiting in the Dark is a small title that goes
a long way.
Young Chinese-Japanese Akihiro (Wilson Chen) is a loner and prefers
to remain distant from other people. When his boss Toshi (Sato Koichi)
passes away in an accident, however, he finds himself implicated
as a murder suspect. On the run, he hides in the apartment of blind
young woman Michiro (Tanaka Rena), who is initially unaware that
she has a visitor. Akihiro quietly assists in her daily life, and
Michiro gradually realizes that there is someone else in her home.
In that small and quiet apartment, a unique romance begins to bloom.
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