Hatano is living as an insomniac freelance typesetter alone in his bayside apartment. One day, Aikawa, a high school classmate he hasn’t seen in over ten years, shows up on his doorstep bearing a bag of clams. Though he claims to be the director of a fast-growing trading company, Aikawa crashes on Hatano’s couch for days on end. When the sleeping pills he was offered produce a strange side effect, Hatano is slowly dragged into Aikawa’s con-artist lifestyle. Soon afterward, they cross paths with the representative of a big-name publishing company and Aikawa’s ultimate scam begins to unfold.
Acting
Toyokawa's slippery charm masks genuine menace
Direction
Nakahara lets dread accumulate in empty apartments
Writing
Every clam delivery is loaded with unspoken history
Director
Shun Nakahara
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Released during Japan's 'Lost Decade,' the film captures salaryman anxiety and the hollow promise of bubble-era success stories.
Etsushi Toyokawa and Koichi Sato had previously starred together in 'August in the Water' (1995); Nakahara cast them specifically to exploit their uneasy chemistry.
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