Traces of Sin

One year after the bloody murder of an upper-class family, reporter Tanaka (Tsumabuki Satoshi) revisits the unsolved case, despite resistance at work and troubles in his personal life; sister Mitsuko (Mitsushima Hikari) is under arrest for neglecting her child. Tanaka is disturbed to uncover details that challenge his original reporting: the butchered well-to-do couple were not the ideal socialites they appeared. One-by-one, his interview subjects remove their masks, painting a disturbing portrait of Japan’s social elite. Director Ishikawa Kei’s impressive first feature, that was produced by Office Kitano and premiered at the Venice Film Festival, unwraps the darkness at the heart of human nature in a rare depiction of class warfare in Japan. Mitsushima (Love Exposure) gives an outstanding performance as a damaged young woman who gravitates towards life’s dark and disturbing corners; If Traces of Sin was a cocktail, it’s The Great Gatsby with a hint of Hitchcock’s Psycho. (Synopsis from New York Asian Film Festival)

『愚行録』
Film Festivals (selected): New York Asian Film Festival, Nippon Connection, Japan FilmFest Hamburg
Available to stream on (subject to change): n/a