By Daily,Editor

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Mysterious Japanese eco-parable about a rural village threatened by pollution

Certificate: 12

Written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi as a follow-up to his 2021 Oscar-winner Drive My Car, this enigmatic and arresting film is, at first glance, an eco-thriller about big business polluting nature. We are introduced to a man and his young daughter who live in a beautiful, unspoilt lake-side village just outside Tokyo. But this peaceful idyll is threatened by a corporation who want to open a glamping site for wealthy tourists, and the company have no intention of hearing or heeding the local residents’ concerns.

As the story slowly unfurls, though, it gets stranger and more complex, and is as mystifying as it is beguiling. It doesn’t follow the usual pattern of such films and that might be frustrating for some, but it’s the sort of film that leaves its mark long after the final credits roll. (106 minutes)