PALE MOON | 紙の月 (Japan, 2014)
Directed by: Daihachi Yoshida
Starring: Rie Miyazawa, Mitsuyo Kakuta, Sosuke Ikematsu

Daihachi Yoshida continues to probe at questions of conformity and rebellion with this devilishly delightful tale of young housewife Rika Umezawa (the stunning Rie Miyazawa) who becomes an embezzler to support an affair with a young lover (Sosuke Ikematsu). As her cons get more and more involving and her actions lead her further and further away from “propriety,” the fun is in seeing how far Umezawa will go while the noose slowly tightens around her. Ikematsu is also excellent as the lover who can’t take his eyes off of the mousy but still pretty Umezawa. With a muted color palate, great soundtrack, and an almost sensual emphasis on the physicality of money, Pale Moon cements Yoshida’s importance in contemporary Japan’s cinematic landscape.