Face

Japanese director Junji Sakamoto's Face centers on reclusive, bovine Masako (Naomi Fujiyama), who sews torn garments in the apartment above her mother's dry cleaning store until the latter drops dead and—in a fit of rage following the obsequies—Masako strangles her nasty younger sister, steals the funeral donations, and goes on the lam. What follows is an episodic, picaresque account of her travels and travails, combining very bleak scenes (the naïve Masako is twice raped) with moments of dark, slapstick farce (her determined effort to learn to ride a bike is a running gag) and poignant elements (such as her hopeless devotion to a handsome but disorderly fellow who's lost his job—and his wife). A slow-moving, punctilious film that might have been irritatingly precious were it not for Sakamoto's careful directorial touch and Fujiyama's remarkable performance (creating a character both touching and weirdly funny), Face generates a surprising amount of suspense as Masako stays one step ahead of the authorities, but what's most remarkable is that you almost forget the woman is a murderess (unrepentant, at that, whose repeated mantra is “don't need forgiving”). Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)