Love and Goodbye and Hawaii

Rinko (Aya Ayano) and Isamu (Kentaro Tamura) have been living together for three years in what seems like an idyllic situation, except for one detail: they broke up months ago. Even so, despite misgivings from her friends, the setup is comfortable enough for Rinko not to feel pressured to change it. When an attractive graduate student takes an interest in Isamu, however, Rinko is forced to confront her remaining feelings for him and the reality of their cohabitation. A unique twist on the romantic comedy, director Shingo Matsumura’s finely-tuned film gently reveals deep emotional truths about love and relationships with subtlety and genuine empathy, delivered with pitch-perfect performances from his leads. -JAPAN CUTS: Festival of New Japanese Film