Kei works at a cocktail bar, while Ai works as a model. Fearing she'll be ostracized by society, Kei chooses not to admit her sexual orientation to anyone, and, as a result, she becomes distressed and lonely. One day, Kei gets close to Naima, an Iranian student studying art in Japan. Ai quickly becomes jealous of them and their budding relationship. Kei gradually becomes pessimistic as she thinks about a future with Ai, and Ai worries that she will lose Kei. In the meantime, Naima is having a hard time understanding what Kei wants despite growing closer to her. All three of them are embarrassed and insecure but eventually they begin to share their emotions. (Source: IMDb) Edit Translation
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“This is Japan. Nobody is watching,” Kei says, while very conveniently ignoring the fact that she can't even afford to think of herself a lesbian for fear of being shunned by Japanese society.This film is a public service announcement that, while compulsory heterosexuality and state-sanctioned homophobia are very much alive and kicking, you can't blame all of your self-sabotaging behaviours on them. At some point you have to decide what choices need to be made so you can live with yourself and deal with the consequences of your own actions like a functioning adult. Awful, I know.
But hopefully if you watch this film early enough in life, you'll learn not to choose the toxic jealous Islamophobic girlfriend who's one mental breakdown away from commiting a murder-suicide and taking you out with her. Also, beware to not accidentally become a repressed lesbian's manic pixie dream girl, because she will ruin your life.
P.S. Trigger warning for an extremely unnecessary (and completely optional!) scene of a man beating the shit out of a woman. This is when you check the credits and realise that, ah yes, of course the director is a man.
