PONY CANYON

INTERNATIONAL LICENSING

Shape of Red

Original Title

Red
Red

INTRODUCTION

Director Yukiko Mishima ingeniously brought the subtlety of family tensions to life on screen with “Dear Etranger” (2017), winning her many awards including the prestigious Grand Prix of the Jury Award at the 41st Montreal World Film Festival. She believes that women in Japan are often constrained by societal norms and takes her long awaited chance to challenge this reality on the screen with her newest work.
“Shape of Red” paints the journey of a woman who, upon reuniting with her long-lost lover, begins to re-discover her own individual standards of what happiness is. A man and a woman drive through the night in a snowstorm and the path she travels?beautiful and fleeting?morphs to align with her life journey.
The main character of Toko Muranushi is played by Kaho of “Our Little Sister” (dir. Hirokazu Koreeda) and her fated lover Akihiko Kurata is played by Satoshi Tsumabuki of “Villain” (dir. Lee Sang-il). These industry veterans come together for the first time, captivating us with a candid and impassioned performance in which they shed all inhibition.
The rest of the cast is stacked with veteran actors and their experience is palpable in the way they envelop us within the profound reality of the film. Toko’s colleague Kodaka is played by Tasuku Emoto while her husband Shin is played by Shotaro Mamiya. Reiko Kataoka, Yoshi Sakou, Ikuko Yamamoto, Kazuyuki Asano and Kimiko Yo also appear in the film.
The story is based on “Red”, written by Rio Shimamoto (“Narratage”) who is heralded by women of all ages for her sensational depictions of intimacy and internal conflict braved by the modern woman. This work will embolden you to find your own “Red”?that is?that which women truly desire.

STORY

A man and a woman drive through the night in a snowstorm.
The road trip has no certain destination, just like their relationship.
With an enviable husband and an adorable daughter, Toko seems to have it all. For the first time in 10 years, she re-encounters Kurata, a man who she once loved. Little by little, imperceptibly, Kurata unravels the tangled feelings bottled up inside Toko... But Kurata has a secret. As the past and the present collide, Toko makes a decision that nobody could have ever imagined?