2/Duo

In the organizer's words:

Director: SUWA Nobuhiro
1996, 90 minutes, OmeU, 35 mm

Not suitable for viewers under the age of 18

Director Suwa Nobuhiro's feature film directorial debut tells the story of a young couple in the Japanese provinces whose relationship becomes increasingly unbalanced. Suwa revised the script several times before discarding it altogether to give the protagonists room for improvisation.

Yû works as a sales clerk in an expensive boutique and lives with her boyfriend Kei, a penniless actor. In their cramped apartment, they quarrel over a small matter, but the very next day Kei proposes to his girlfriend. Yû is confused by the sudden proposal and soon the rollercoaster of feelings of affection and alienation takes its course. When Yû loses her mental balance and disappears, Kei sets off in search of her, with no idea what to expect.

movie series
Turning Point
Japanese films from the 1990s

The decline of the studio system in the 1980s and the bursting of the speculative bubble at the beginning of the 1990s marked a turning point in the Japanese film industry. A generation of directors emerged who created independent productions with great creativity and small budgets, giving the film landscape an exciting new impetus. The series shows eight titles that impressively express this change.

It opens with a tragicomedy by Sai Yôichi about the lives of social minorities(Tsuki wa dotchi ni dete iru), followed by the story of the (sexual) relationship between two runners by Hiroki Ryûichi(800 Two Lap Runners). Suwa Nobuhiro, on the other hand, paints a multi-layered portrait of a young couple(2/Dyuo) and Kurosawa Kiyoshi, the master of thrillers and horror films, provides deep insights into the abysses of the human psyche(Hebi no michi; Karisuma). In a mixture of tragedy and comedy, Sabu tells the story of an unsuspecting letter carrier(Posutoman burûsu), while Kawase Naomi focuses on the problems of a family in a rural region(Moe no Suzaku). Finally, Miike Takashi is represented with a yakuza film full of absurdities(Dead or Alive: Hanzaisha).

The film series takes place in cooperation with the Nippon Connection film festival in Frankfurt (27.05. - 01.06.2025). Further information can be found at https://nipponconnection.com/

Price information:

Admission free