Asako I and II, Passionate Love Presented by Filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi

In 2015 Ryusuke Hamaguchi made a name for himself at the Locarno film festival with his Senses trilogy, an intimate drama that unfolds over 5 hours and 17 minutes, split into three parts, and that tells the story of an unbreakable friendship between four thirty-somethings on different sentimental journeys.

Three years later, the filmmaker was invited to Cannes to unveil his feature-length film Asako I & II. ‘Following the sudden disappearance of her first love, Asako is distraught’, the press material summarises. ‘Two years later, she meets her perfect match. Intrigued by the strange resemblance between them, she allows herself to be seduced, but gradually discovers a man who is not who he first appears’. The film is a reflection on the mark that one’s first love leaves on subsequent relationships, and the filmmaker seeks to demonstrate how futile rationality can be.

The filmmaker is a self-proclaimed follower of Rohmer, Cassavetes and Ozu, but the viewer might also be reminded of Hong Sang-soo, who also explores intimate relationships.