Just after World War II, Tokyo was completely burnt down and ruined. Yet, the lives of the people who survived continued, with many struggles. Almost everybody lost someone, and day-to-day survival skills were even required for those small children who had become orphans.

In a hot and humid summer, a war orphan sneaks into a woman’s shabby house to steal things, and a young demobilised soldier comes as a guest as she sells her body to make a living. The three begin a strange life together. However, it is short-lived, as the demobilised soldier’s memories of the war destroy the lives of the three. The orphan, who says a black-market street vendor has offered him a job, sets off on a journey with the vendor, ignoring the woman who tries to stop him. The street vendor is a bold man, but the purpose of his journey is the horrifying one of putting an end to the wounds he has received in the war.

Since his sensational theatrical debut with Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989),  Shinya Tsukamoto has garnered a devoted fan base worldwide and influenced numerous creators. He has explored the transformation of humanity in extreme wartime conditions with Fires on the Plain (2014), and Shadow of Fire is his second feature war film. Always edgy and cinematically stylish, Tsukamoto renders human emotions in ultimate circumstances carefully and realistically with tension. This is a not a war film but a film that explores human principles and tragedy swayed by fate, which earned the Best Asian Film Award at Venice Film Festival 2023.

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