A Mulher de um Espião

"However, in Kurosawa and Hamaguchi's oriental frame of mind, a spy game doesn't consist of breakneck automobile chases, fisticuffs or firefights, its tradecraft is solely on an intellectual and psychological level, to Satoko and Yusaku, it is about how to outsmart the military police and defect to USA, with kompromat in their possession, to pressurize Americans to wade into the war and expedite the end of this worldwide atrocity. This is the bigger picture, nevertheless, in the smaller one, WIFE OF A SPY is, first and foremost, a woman's awakening from a repressed patriarchal society, Satoko has no voice, no ambition, a content and obedient wife, clinging to the constancy and uxoriousness from Yusaku. Once she changes her mind about his noble cause (all of a sudden it seems), her life is revivified, somehow, she finally can do something meaningful, which they can accomplish together, she becomes naively proud of being "the wife of a spy", and it also consolidates their crumpling marriage, that is the ideal side of their dangerous mission, in return, she is requested to have plenary trust in Yusaku."

read my full review on my blog: cinema omnivore, thanks.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Supai no tsuma" ("Wife of a Spy" in English) is about a woman in 1940s Japan married to a man suspected of being a double agent. It's one of those movies that manages to be romantic and intense at the same time.

One thing about it that I hope catches viewers' attention is the Japanese authorities' discussion of events in China. It refers to Unit 731, where Japanese troops performed horrific scientific experiments on the Chinese. This was just one of countless monstrous war crimes carried out by the Japanese troops in the '30s and '40s. While there was some prosecution of these atrocities, most of them got swept under the rug. No doubt it'll take years to fully expose the war criminals. It's perfectly understandable why Satoko and Yusaku do what they do.

Anyway, it's a fine look at Japan. The generations since WWII have been unwilling to fully acknowledge the country's war crimes; maybe the younger generation will be willing to.

A good portrait of trust and suspicion in the ultra right nationalist period. The film in the film reflects the story of characters, which structure was developed in Ryusuke Hamaguchi's latest film Drive My Car. However, some of the scene is lacking in logic and therefore makes me feel unreal.

It's an average, feel-good film at best with a very good universal message. How the Jury of Venice 2020 film festival headed by Cate Blanchett bestowed this film with the Best Director Award beats logic. Was it because the lead character was a film director? That must have pleased jury member Joanna Hogg. This incredible jury thought that Konchalovsky did not deserve the Best Director award for "Dear Comrades!" a vastly superior work but instead bestowed it the Jury's Special Prize as a consolation. This same jury gave another below par film from Mexico's Michel Franco called "The New Order" the Grand Jury Prize. The Bosnian film "Quo vadi, Aida?" was overlooked but thankfully it is in the Oscar race. Look closely at the awards and the jury seemed to give some award or other to all the nominees, often having questionable merit. Luckily, for us the Gold Lion went to a deserving work "Nomadland."

The script will make you recall "The Shawshank Redemption" though the tales are in different settings.

"Wife of a spy" is a good vehicle for the Kill Bill 1 and 2 actor Issey Takahashi. Little else.

And end with an even longer cry. The story though might be interresting, but not exactly as exciting as could be.its made in a japanese customly humble and cultural driven manner, and very theatrical in its execution. Its a fingerpinchsize of a daring topic to raise, namely the years before ww2 japan, where manchuria was the battle field, the nipponese fascism near its summit, and where spies operated everywhere and upon everyone. Being a wife to a spy is a dire choice of existece, and when you dont know what to believe, even from your right hand side, then tragedy is pretty near.

Its a pretty classical japanese production on a tv broadcaster budget, its pretty rigid on outdoor scenes, and plentyfilled with tears and agony. Some historical images there are but not of the cruel stuff. There are no sex and nudity, barely a kiss to see, but drama youll get if you want that. The grumpy old man had expected more due to norwegian broadcaster nrk's ''the film police'' review.