Text by MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Department, compiled and reported
The first Japanese film directed by master filmmaker Wayne Wang—[While the Woman Sleeps]—is set to premiere on 7/8. Wang’s previous works have primarily focused on Chinese-themed subjects, but this time he was drawn to the creatively plotted short story by Spanish author Javier Marías. By chance, renowned Japanese director Takeshi Kitano read the story outline and was highly impressed, leading him to join the production. The film, with its thrilling and artistic narrative, was also selected for the Panorama section of the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.
Stills from *While the Woman Sleeps*. (Image provided by Tenma Xingkong)
The film tells the story of disheartened novelist Kiyoshi Shimizu (played by Hidetoshi Nishijima), whose debut novel became a huge success and made him famous, but who has not had a hit in years, causing his relationship with his wife to grow stale. Kiyoshi and his wife retreat to a countryside inn for a holiday to unwind, where they encounter a mysterious elderly-young couple—the over-fifty man Sōhara (Takeshi Kitano) and the beautiful, charming young girl Mikki (Kanna Hashimoto)—whose intimate interactions exude an eerie and peculiar atmosphere.
Stills from *While the Woman Sleeps*. (Image provided by Tenma Xingkong)
Stills from *While the Woman Sleeps*. (Image provided by Tenma Xingkong)
From that day on, their images lingered in Kiyoshi’s mind. He began spying on their room and witnessed Sōhara gently shaving Mikki’s body hair with a razor, as well as discovering Sōhara’s nightly secret of secretly photographing his sleeping girlfriend... Fueled by curiosity and the thrill of potential crime, Kiyoshi gradually loses control. He follows the couple to an izakaya and uncovers their shocking past...
Poster for *While the Woman Sleeps*. (Image provided by Tenma Xingkong)
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