Wife of a Spy
Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Master filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Pulse, Cure, Tokyo Sonata) won the Silver Lion (Best Director) at the Venice Film Festival for this riveting, gorgeously crafted, old-school Hitchockian thriller shot in stunning 8K. The year is 1940 in Kobe, on the eve of the outbreak of World War II. Local merchant and amateur filmmaker Yusaku (Issey Takahashi, Kill Bill) senses that things are headed in an unsettling direction. Following a trip to Manchuria, he becomes determined to bring to light the things he witnessed there, and secretly filmed. Meanwhile, his wife Satoko (Japan Society’s 2021 Honoree Yû Aoi) receives a visit from her childhood friend, now a military policeman. He warns her about Yusaku’s seditious ways and reveals that a woman her husband brought back from his trip has died. Satoko confronts Yusaku, but when she discovers his true intentions, she is torn between loyalty to her husband, the life they have built, and the country they call home.
Reviews More Reviews
“Critic’s Pick! Thrum[s] with unusual intensity… Wife of a Spy is something like linear narrative perfection, with every scene perfectly calibrated.”
"Kiyoshi Kurosawa's best movie in years… Another unexpected pivot from a filmmaker who’s never liked putting one foot in front of the other."
“A period drama with distinct Hitchcockian overtones... in the vintage of Suspicion and Notorious.”
“An absorbing, exotic, well-paced thriller.”
“A suspenseful homefront scenario worthy of John le Carré’s storied blend of tradecraft, history and insight into the ramifications of duplicity… with elements of a Hitchcock-style swirl of marital intrigue, entrapment, and escape.”
“An old-fashioned drama replete with big performances and plot twists, double-cross and triple-cross.”
"One of Kurosawa's most purely enjoyable entertainments… powered by Yu Aoi’s bravura performance."
“Preserves the psychological richness of the spy drama… Aoi’s performance is a celebration of the cathartic possibilities of melodrama as she emphatically yells, cries, giggles and yearns.”
“A historical tale of duplicity and misplaced loyalty.”
“Majestic, and with just the right amount of customary foreboding Kurosawa is known for... [a] haltingly lush melodrama of wartime horrors.”
"A work of someone in masterful control of atmosphere... Kurosawa brings viewers into the ghastly secret that binds husband and wife together, one that could end their lives if discovered."
Press & Exhibitors
Below please find additional information and promotional materials for this film. Use the buttons on the left to request to book this film for theatrical or educational/community screenings.
For all press requests, please contact us at [email protected].
Technical Info
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
- Color: Color
Press & Promotion:
playdates
Venue | City | State | Date |
---|---|---|---|
a/perture cinema | Winston Salem | NC | 1633060800October 1 - October 15, 2021 |
All Saints Cinema / Tallahassee Film Society | Tallahassee | FL | 1634875200October 22, 2021 - January 21, 2022 |
Art Theatre of Long Beach | Long Beach | CA | 1633665600October 8 - November 5, 2021 |
Bozeman Film Society | Bozeman | MT | 1634875200October 22 - December 24, 2021 |
ByTowne Cinema | Ottawa | ON | 1633060800October 1 - November 5, 2021 |
Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe | Santa Fe | NM | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Chelsea Theater | Chapel Hill | NC | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Cinema Paradiso | Hollywood | FL | 1633060800October 1 - November 5, 2021 |
Cinematique of Daytona | Daytona Beach | FL | 1636084800November 5 - November 9, 2021 |
Cinestudio | Hartford | CT | 1633665600October 8 - November 5, 2021 |
Cleveland Cinematheque | Cleveland | OH | 1634270400October 15 - November 19, 2021 |
Consolidated Koko Marina | Honolulu | HI | 1634875200October 22 - November 12, 2021 |
Dairy Arts Center | Boulder | CO | 1635307200October 27 - November 1, 2021 |
DeBartolo Performing Arts Center | Notre Dame | IN | 1639026000December 9 - December 12, 2021 |
Detroit Institute of Arts | Detroit | MI | 1636693200November 12 - December 3, 2021 |
FilmScene | Iowa City | IA | 1632456000September 24 - October 15, 2021 |
Gateway Film Center | Columbus | OH | 1633060800October 1 - November 5, 2021 |
Gene Siskel Film Center | Chicago | IL | 1632456000September 24 - September 30, 2021 |
Guild Cinema | Albuquerque | NM | 1633060800October 1 - November 5, 2021 |
Harkins Theatres Shea 14 | Scottsdale | AZ | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Hope College - Knickerbocker Theatre | Holland | MI | 1635739200November 1 - November 7, 2021 |
IFC Center | New York | NY | 1631851200September 17 - November 5, 2021 |
Kan-Kan Cinema | Indianapolis | IN | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Laemmle Theatres | Los Angeles | CA | 1632456000September 24 - November 19, 2021 |
Lake Worth Playhouse | Lake Worth | FL | 1633665600October 8 - October 29, 2021 |
Landmark Chez Artiste Theatre | Denver | CO | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Landmark E Street Cinema | Washington | D.C. | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Landmark Embarcadero Center Cinema | San Francisco | CA | 1633060800October 1 - November 5, 2021 |
Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas | San Diego | CA | 1633665600October 8 - November 5, 2021 |
Landmark Plaza Frontenac Cinema | Frontenac | MO | 1633665600October 8 - November 5, 2021 |
Landmark Ritz Five | Philadelphia | PA | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Landmark Shattuck Cinemas | Berkeley | CA | 1633060800October 1 - November 5, 2021 |
Living Room Boca | Boca Raton | FL | 1633665600October 8 - November 5, 2021 |
Lumiere Cinema | Los Angeles | CA | 1633665600October 8 - October 29, 2021 |
Magic Lantern Theatre | Spokane | WA | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Mesilla Valley Film Society | Mesilla | NM | 1636693200November 12 - November 20, 2021 |
MoMA | New York | NY | 1637038800November 16 - November 17, 2021 |
Monadnock Film Festival | Keene | NH | 1634961600October 23 - October 29, 2021 |
New Plaza Cinema | New York | NY | 1634875200October 22 - December 30, 2021 |
Northwest Film Forum | Seattle | WA | 1633060800October 1 - October 4, 2021 |
Oklahoma City Museum of Art | Oklahoma City | OK | 1633665600October 8 - October 11, 2021 |
Oxnard Film Society | Oxnard | CA | 1636084800November 5 - November 9, 2021 |
Railroad Square Cinema | Waterville | ME | 1646456400March 5 - March 7, 2022 |
Rehoboth Beach Film Society | Rehoboth Beach | DE | 1633665600October 8 - November 5, 2021 |
Sag Harbor Cinema | Sag Harbor | NY | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
San Juan International Film Festival | San Juan | Puerto Rico | 1633579200October 7 - October 14, 2021 |
Screenshot: Asia Festival | Pittsburgh | PA | 1633492800October 6 - October 11, 2021 |
Sedona International Film Festival | Sedona | AZ | 1637902800November 26 - December 3, 2021 |
Smith Rafael Film Center | San Rafael | CA | 1633060800October 1 - October 6, 2021 |
SNF Parkway Theatre | Baltimore | MD | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Taos Center For The Arts | Taos | NM | 1634788800October 21 - November 5, 2021 |
The Cary Theater | Cary | NC | 1635998400November 4 - November 12, 2021 |
The Picture House | Pelham | NY | 1633665600October 8 - November 5, 2021 |
The Ryder Film Series | Bloomington | IN | 1635480000October 29 - November 7, 2021 |
Tower Theater Miami | Miami | FL | 1633060800October 1 - November 5, 2021 |
Upstate Films - Starr Cinema | Rhinebeck | NY | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |
Zeitgeist Theatre | Arabi | LA | 1633060800October 1 - October 29, 2021 |