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Merry-Go-Round

The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese

YUKISADA Isao

Japan2020131min

Synopsis

Private detective and college friend, Wataru, shows up at Kyoichi’s office one day informing him that Kyoichi’s wife has commissioned evidence of his affair. To cover it up, Wataru asks for Kyoichi’s physical affection as he’s been secretly in love with Kyoichi for ever, so Kyoichi gets caught up with Wataru. Wataru barges into divorced Kyoichi’s house and stays there, however, with his volatile personality, Kyoichi adopts an indifferent attitude toward Wataru, while Wataru tends to be more affectionate. Well-known for its delicate psychological portrayals of both hetero and gay men, Mizushiro Setona’s 2006 cartoon has been made into a film by director Yukisada Isao, of Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World (2004). Unlike recent BL works that depict bright and cheery love stories between men, the film portrays the social perspectives towards queer couples and the process of slowly eroding a person, as if he is drowning in a trap. (KIM Songhee)

Diretor

YUKISADA Isao

Born in 1968 in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. His first feature film, Sunflowers (2000), won the FIPRESCI Award at the Busan International Film Festival. With Go (2001), he swept numerous film awards, including Best Director at the 25th The Japan Academy Film Prize. His representative film is Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World (2004). Parade in 2010 and Reverse Edge in 2018 won the FIPRESCI Jury Prize in the Panorama section of the Berlin International Film Festival. The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese was nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the Japan Academy Film Prize.

Credit

Producer
NAGAMATSUYA Taro, YOSHIZAWA Takahiro, Shun Sunny SAITO, NIINO Yasuyuki
Screenplay
HORIIZUMI Anne
Author of the Original Work
MIZUSHIRO Setona
Cinematographer
IMAI Takahiro
Editor
IMAI Tsuyoshi
Sound
ITO Hironori
Music
HANNO Yoshihiro
Production Design
SOMA Naoki
Sales
ColorBird Inc.(World), Media Castle (Kor)