Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

(Gûzen to sôzô, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Japan 2021, 121 min., DCP, Japanese w/subtitles)

A trio of tales about purposeful and unintentional deception comprise this omnibus from director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. A model and her friend take a taxi ride back from a photo shoot while the friend tells the model about an amazing night she had with a man, not realizing the model knows him, too. Then, a disgraced student convinces his lover to entrap the professor who has failed him. Finally, in a near future where a virus has eliminated all electronic communication, a woman attends her high school reunion, hoping to find the woman who was her first love. Filled with long takes and pregnant moments, this film earned Hamaguchi the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival.