The Soup, One Morning

 The relationship between Kitiwaga (Hiromasa Hirosue) and his girlfriend Shizu (Akie Namiki) takes a serious knock when the former is forced to quit his office job after experiencing a series of panic attacks and consequently decides to seek solace by joining a religious cult. Izumi Takahashi portrays their breakdown with extreme precision: the weight of emotion is increased dramatically by a script refreshingly free of cod philosophising and is perfectly matched with photography which fluctuates gracefully between claustrophobic two-shots inside the couple’s cramped apartment and intricately constructed tableaux of the changing world outside. The acting, as well, is note perfect.