Heaven's Story (2010, Unclassified 18+)

Dir: ZEZE Takahisa, Japan, 272mins, digital

As a child Sato was the only witness and survivor of the murder of her family. As she grows to adulthood, her brooding need for revenge gets channelled into another controversial case. The circle grows around both crimes and their unresolved punishments gather in accomplices, acts of revenge, and gestures of atonement. Director Zeze Takahisa’s weaving together of characters and stories is reminiscent of great HBO TV series like The Wire, as well as the classic Russian literature and American pulp crime novels long loved by Japan audiences. Its breadth and power is confirmed with film awards rarely achieved by a Japanese indie movie, including the critic’s prizes at Berlin Film Festival and top ranking in the key Japanese Kinema Junpo poll.

Screens with a short intermission.

Image courtesy of Heaven’s Project Productions