Amazing Story

Because of the desolate landscape, Kobayashi chose snow-covered Hokkaido (the most northern island of Japan) as the setting for Amazing Story, a light-erotic drama about a lonely man, Kenji, who kidnaps the woman of his dreams. The woman is Harumi, a hairdresser in the deserted town where Kenji has just arrived. It’s never really busy in her business. Harumi’s husband is a gambling addict and spends all Harumi’s money. Maybe that’s why Harumi doesn’t try very hard to escape when Kenji kidnaps her. His concern about her and his boundless worship probably help, too. Something strange and beautiful blossoms between the kidnapper and his victim, but can this be the basis of a long and happy encounter?
Because of the frequent use of fixed camera angles, often looking down from above on Kenji and Harumi, Amazing Story radiates the same loneliness as its protagonists, that is only somewhat broken through during the first passionate love scene. Kobayashi: ‘On location, when I captured the last scene in the film, I realised that this film does not show the success of love but the loss of love.’