The Soup, One Morning

This very realistic portrait of the gradual demise of a relationship was written, directed and played purely by non-professionals, something that is difficult to believe when you see this gripping, intimate and powerfully acted low-budget film. Kitigawa suffers from panic attacks and can no longer go to his work. He finds a job so he can work at home through a rather dubious organisation that also organises seminars. His girlfriend Shizu is wary of these ‘seminars’ and worries that Kitigawa is slowly falling into the hands of a cult. But Kitigawa won’t listen to any of this. The tensions between Shizu and Kitigawa grow when suddenly a lot of money disappears from their communal bank account, and Shizu is also in danger of losing her job. She tries whatever she can to get through to the taciturn Kitigawa, but the more she interferes, the more alienated she becomes from him. The film is set almost entirely in the couple’s small apartment. Only now and then do we see images of a lost Kitigawa in the city. The stationary, aloof video camera films the couple’s everyday life with the emotions on their face barely visible. There is also not much dialogue. This makes the routine that Shizu tries to retain at all costs, such as preparing a traditional Japanese breakfast every day, all the more significant and painful. (SdH)