Zero no shoten

In the course of his career, director Yoshitaro Nomura, who is little known in this country, filmed no less than five novels by the most important Japanese crime writer Seicho Matsumoto. ZERO NO SHOTEN is particularly important within this creative collaboration, not least because of the film's two diverse protagonists: Teiko (Yoshiko Kuga), who sets out in search of her husband who disappeared without a trace a few days after her wedding, and Sachiko Murota (Hizuru Takachiho) as the inscrutable wife of a former business partner. Kuga's factual voice-over takes you in and through the film, which features all the components of a classic film noir with shady characters, dual identities, flashbacks and fast-paced storylines. ZERO NO SHOTEN is also a social image of post-war Japanese society outside Tokyo's comfort zone. (mg)