Thirty years have passed since Tomiko’s (Tanaka Yuko) dearly-loved husband disappeared from Sado Island, a remote northern island known for being the site of a North Korean abduction in 1978. Unable to find closure, Tomiko continues to await his return, drifting aimlessly through life until she meets Nami (Ono Machiko). Nami’s husband (Ando Masanobu) has also gone missing, but unlike Tomiko, she is actively seeking out the reasons behind her husband’s disappearance. One day, Tomiko happens to spot Nami’s husband around town…

Recalling Imamura Shohei’s sensational documentary, A Man Vanishes, this sharp human drama by former documentary filmmaker Kubota Nao compellingly contrasts the lives of two women left behind by their husbands’ disappearances. The detailed depiction of their complex emotions is owed to deeply profound performances from award-winning actresses Tanaka Yuko and One Machiko. Together, they ask whether people can truly vanish without trace, and whether those left behind can build a new life afterwards without being haunted by the memories of those who disappeared.

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Image: ©2022映画『千夜、一夜』製作委員会