It Feels So Good

When Naoko (Kumi Takiuchi) proposes a one-night stand to Kenji (Tasuku Emoto) while he’s back in their hometown of Akita to attend her imminent wedding to a Self-Defense Forces officer, the fervid passion of their youthful romance over a decade earlier cannot be contained. Underemployed in part due to the economic impact of 3.11, they ruminate on shared disaffection approaching middle age and keep extending their affair until her fiancé’s delayed return. Opening a time capsule together, they move from conceited nostalgia to self-awareness as they step into the future with humility just as the world appears on the verge of erupting. Adapted from Kazufumi Shiraishi’s novel and meditating on a painting by Miho Ninagawa, Haruhiko Arai’s film represents a remarkable achievement by Takiuchi (Side Job, JC 2018) and Emoto (And Your Bird Can Sing, JC 2019).

• Winner, Best Film of the Year, 2020 Kinema Junpo Award
• Winner, Best Actress, 2020 Kinema Junpo Award
• Winner, Best Film of the Year, 2019 Eiga Geijutsu magazine poll
• Winner, Best Film Award, 41st Yokohama Film Festival

Available streaming territory: U.S. only

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