Wife of a Spy
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa Run Time: 115 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2021
Starring: Issey Takahashi, Minosuke, Ryota Bando, Yu Aoi, Yuri Tsunematsu
Country: Japan
Language: Japanese, English
“a World War II–era espionage tale, where identity and motive are always in play, and horror is real”
—Robert Abele for The Wrap
About the film:
Awarded the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2020 Venice International Film Festival. On the eve of World War II, Yusaku, a Japanese merchant and amateur filmmaker, senses that things are headed in an unsettling direction. Following a trip to Manchuria, he becomes determined to bring to light the things he witnessed there, and secretly filmed. When his wife Satoko discovers his true intentions, she is torn between loyalty to her husband, the life they have built, and the country they call home.
About the filmmaker:
Kiyoshi Kurosawa is a celebrated director, screenwriter, film critic and professor at the Tokyo University of the Arts, best known for his award-winning festival selections and unusual approach to story and genre. He made his feature directorial debut in 1983 with Kandagawa Wars, and achieved international acclaim with the 1997 crime thriller Cure followed by highly acclaimed features like the 2001 film Pulse, Tokyo Sonata, and Before We Vanish, which earned him best director in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes in 2015.
Wife of a Spy marks Kurosawa’s first foray into historical drama.
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