Shinobugawa is the name of the restaurant where Tetsuro, a student with tormented past falls for waitress Shino. But little did he know that she has a past and at first both struggle with their feelings because they consider each other to be unworthy. The sensitive melodrama describes the love relationship between these two characters combining happiness, emotion, and Kei Kumai's vision. The screenplay mixes a structured narration with numerous Gray areas which amplify its attractive power. The two main protagonists of the film are excellent, Gô Katô as Tetsuro and the beautiful Komaki Kurihara as Shino. The lens focuses on their photogenic faces and beautifully captures their reactions and emotions. The first thing to state about this beautiful movie is that it's monochrome giving you a feel that you are in a photographic gallery. The quality of the cinematography is quite extraordinary thanks to Kiyomi Kuroda and the soundtrack of Teizo Matsumura is undoubtedly one of the key elements.
Kei Kumai's portrayal of love could have been a sentimental rag. However, with masterful construction of beauty and melancholy, minimalist staging led by the incredible central performances this tale says much more with its visual than dialogue another pure testimonial to cinema itself. It is a must for Takis Kanellopoulos, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Rudolf Thome, Angela Schanelec, Hollis Frampton, Eric Rohmer and Guy Giles fans to check out this fantastically well put film.
