M/other

Cleverly titled drama about a divorcé who shows up at the house he shares with his younger lover with his 8-year-old son in tow. His ex has had an accident, he explains, can Shun stay with them for a month? Unimpressed, Aki reluctantly agrees, and we imagine we know where it's headed as woman and child gradually form a bond. Grating discordant strings on the soundtrack hint that we might be wrong. Suwa shoots most of his lengthy, improvised scenes from a one camera set-up, but for all the apparent simplicity of this observational technique, his aesthetic is not averse to expressionist lighting effects. The result is a studied, cool and convincing examination of modern relationships struggling to come to terms with traditional gender roles.