Program Note
Aki Oriya, who came to Tokyo hoping to become an actress 10 years ago and now on the verge of thirty, is on the stage of a magic show as an assistant. She seems to have little hope or passion, but finally has the chance. The show fascinates a producer who gives her the door for a star. However, the film makes us wonder if Aki’s reality is real because there is a mysterious man who wears a strange makeup and pricks her pain and makes the boundary between reality and fantasy blurred. It may be Aki’s split ego or alter ego. Aki’s time and memory are also confused and mixed. Which one is her reality, fantasy and delusion? The only obvious thing among Aki’s confused memories is that she loved Kaito. It is her love and memory for Kaito that brings Aki back to the real world, though exhausted by the black trade and violence of show business. Ninomiya Ken completed his first feature film, The Limits of Sleeping Beauty , by remaking the film which won the special award at the Yubari Film Festival in 2015. Sakurai Yuki, who played her first major role, and Takahashi Issei, who has demonstrated appeal in the melodrama, The Quartets (2017), worked together. (JEONG Ji-hye)