The City of Betrayal

A very decent drama from Miura. The City of Betrayal sounds like a great title for a crime thriller, but in fact Miura's talking about betrayal in the romantic sense. The film follows two couples (one younger, one middle-aged) where the younger man and the middle-aged woman start an affair together.

The film explores the three relationships up close, but doesn't seem very willing to give clear reasons for the adultery (which is a good thing). A certain restlessness and ennui seems to lie at the basis, but the individuality of the characters and the general complexity of human relations are never taken for granted.

Performances are great, with Terajima and Ikematsu doing a lot of the heavy lifting. Stylistically the film's a bit more basic, which kept me from giving it a higher rating. It's not bad, just very by the numbers. A more than solid drama though, that handles its subject with great care and respect.