Mejima

Mejima is a young Japanese man who earns his living in a small slaughterhouse. He is very proud of not having any goal in life, even though his eyes sometimes give the game away. Sex worker Mon thinks she was made for her job, as she never gets her period and so cannot become pregnant. Her Chinese boss is a young criminal – the opposite of Mejima in every way. The illegal Chinese community in Tokyo see him as their saviour, and Japanese Mon also admires him.
When Mejima encounters the pair, his indifference starts to make way for romantic desires and jealousy, and his smouldering resentment finally explodes.
Debut director Izutani is one of the finds of Tokyo’s PIA festival, which specialises in new talent. Mejima turns out to be an atmospheric cross between a crime story and a melancholy reflection on the meaning of life, regularly punctuated by blood. It is also an incisive portrayal of the differences between Japan and China.

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