Labyrinth of Dreams

Gakuryu Ishii's 1997 Japanese film is quiet and taut, entirely unlike the punk energy of his early work. Tomiko, a bus conductor, falls in love with Niitaka, the new driver, while suspecting him of being the serial killer who murders his conductors once he tires of them. The film does not try to resolve that suspicion, it describes what it is like to carry both at once. Black-and-white photography and an almost empty provincial landscape collapse the distance between desire and death. It is one of Tadanobu Asano's early roles, and his blankness feeds the film's uncertainty. Ishii's deliberate slowing of the pace draws tension from waiting rather than from events. Who it's for: viewers interested in Japanese independent cinema, slow thrillers and Gakuryu Ishii's work. Who it's not for: anyone expecting the mystery to be solved, or who will find the slow pace and sparse dialogue wearing.