JAPANESE STORY Special Screenings

Starring the extraordinary Toni Collette as a geologist adrift in her life, JAPANESE STORY is a profound meditation on the impermanence of existence and the destabilization of love and connection.

Sandy, an ambitious geologist, suddenly finds herself having to baby-sit Hiromitsu (Gotaro Tsunashima), a taciturn Japanese businessman. Hoping to strike up a business deal, she agrees to take him on a field trip in Australia’s remote Pilbara desert. Set against the backdrop of the vast, often overwhelming Australian Outback-the third character in this film-these two diametrically opposed strangers find themselves thrust together in a potentially life or death situation. As they journey further and further into the desert, they leave more and more of what they know about each other and themselves behind.

The film oscillates between a cross-cultural journey, an emotionally energetic drama and a haunting love story, fueled by the unflinching immediacy of the passionate and insightful performances of the two leads, particularly Collette’s-one of the richest performances on screen this year. Bold and evocatively unpredictable, she shines in Sue Brooks’ subtle direction and Sue Maslin’s rich script. All these elements coupled seamlessly to create a situation so infused with dramatic potential that it all but bursts from the screen.