Asako I & II (2018)
(Netemo sametemo, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Japan 2018, 119 min., DCP, Japanese w/subtitles)
Young Asako (Erika Karata) has a chance encounter with Baku (Masahiro Higashide) and is entranced. Baku is an aloof wanderer, but as the two start dating they seem to form a connection. When Baku disappears with no notice, his friend Okazaki (Daichi Watanabe) tells Asako that he has no idea when or if Baku will return. Two years later, after moving to Tokyo to work in a coffee shop, Asako meets Ryohei (also Higashide) who looks like Baku, but with a completely different personality. Asako feels uncomfortable with Ryohei’s advances, but eventually enters a relationship with him, unaware that her past has not completely left her. Director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s exploration of who we are with different people unfolds with a delicate touch.