Japanese Girls Never Die

(Azumi Haruko wa yukuefumei, アズミ・ハルコは行方不明)

A multi-stranded drama surrounding the disappearance of Haruko Azumi (Yu Aoi), a 27-year-old unmarried woman stuck in a dead-end job who goes missing without a trace. When Haruko’s missing person’s poster attracts the attention of two wannabe graffiti artists, her image soon becomes the unwitting face behind a pop phenomenon. Meanwhile, a mysterious group of high school girls begin attacking men at random around town. Are these events all connected to Haruko’s disappearance?

Director Daigo Matsui masterfully interweaves a series of stories and subplots through a nonlinear narrative, bringing the viewer back in forth in time, and drawing them closer to discovering the secret behind Haruko’s disappearance. Based on a novel by Mariko Yamauchi, Japanese Girls Never Die is an anarchic, vibrant and completely experimental critique of modern Japanese culture.

2016/100 min/English Subtitles

アズミ・ハルコは行方不明

街中にあふれる女性の顔のグラフィティ・アートと、30代OL の安曇春子が失踪した事件との関係は? ポップなグラフィティを軸に、世代の異なる現代女性たちの生き様を浮き彫りにした青春サスペンス・ラブ・ストーリー。人気女優の蒼井優が、2008年作の「百万円と苦虫女」以来、久々の映画主演を果たしたほか、シンガー・ソングライターの石崎ひゅーいが映画初出演し、話題となった。

監督: 松居大悟
出演: 蒼井優、高畑充希、太賀

(Special thanks to Eikoku News Digest)