Zero Focus (1961)

ゼロの焦点 (1961)

or Zero no shōten

or Zero Focus

starring Yoshiko Kuga, Hizuru Takachiho, Ineko Arima

directed by Yoshitarō Nomura

95 minutes

in Japanese with English subtitles

Teiko Uhara (Yoshiko Kuga) has only been married for a week when Kenichi, her husband, vanishes while on a business trip. She travels to Kanazawa, the town where he was last seen, and conducts her own investigation. Her husband's brother joins her in investigating the case but then he turns up dead, a victim of cyanide poisoning.

Teiko learns things about her husband that she did not know. She comes up with her own theory about what happened to him. She shares her theory with the local police only to learn that they have discovered things that contradict (in part) what she has managed to piece together.

Teiko talks to Gisaku Murota and his wife Sachiko (Hizuru Takachiho), who were frequently had Kenichi over for dinner. They don't seem to know very much about what happened to him, at first.

Teiko learns that Kenichi was already married (under an assumed name) to another woman, Hisako Tanuma (Ineko Arima) with whom she briefly crossed paths when Teiko first started her investigation. Hisako has since turned up dead.

Teiko's investigation ultimately reveals what happened to her husband, his brother, and his other wife.

Thoughts

I saw this movie as part of the 2024 edition of the Noir City DC film festival. It was the front half of a double feature. The back half was Across the Bridge (1957). Foster Hirsch introduced the movie. He warned the audience to pay attention. He said that he watched the movie six times in the past year and still isn't sure he understands everything about it.

Foster Hirsch wasn't exaggerating in that this is a fast moving and complex movie. The director does not waste any scenes. There is lots of dialogue and there aren't very many lingering shots. Scene shifts occurs quite frequently. There are flashbacks and flashbacks within flashbacks.

The various stories and theories about what happened to Kenichi, his brother, and Hisako Tanuma made me think of Rashomon.

I don't believe I have seen any of the actors in this movie in any other films. I have not seen any of director Yoshitarō Nomura's other films.

I could see myself watching this movie again. I feel like I understood it on the first watch but there was a lot to absorb. I don't remember all the twists and turns in the story or all the details. This movie probably won't appeal to everyone but I think it worth a watch if you like complex noir stories and foreign films.