Nobuhiro Suwa's 2/DUO Limited Engagement

2/DUO, 1997, Arbelos Films, 89 minutes, Japan, Dir: Nobuhiro Suwa. 

Nobuhiro Suwa’s second feature and breakout film, 2/DUO telescopes in on the seemingly mannered, domestic life of a young couple – Kei, a cash-strapped aspiring actor (DRIVE MY CAR’s Hidetoshi Nishijima) and Yu, a junior employee at a high-end clothing store (Eri Yu) – and finds in the vicissitudes of their relationship a quiet storm of high stakes affection and alienation. An under-seen masterstroke of recent Japanese cinema, Suwa and his cast deftly conjure the emotional range and improvised precision of Jacques Rivette and Mike Leigh to inhabit a story that incrementally evokes the most universal sentient from the most quotidian detail. Generously lensed by Masaki Tamura (TAMPOPO, EUREKA, LADY SNOWBLOOD), Arbelos is proud to present this new 25th anniversary remastered version, supervised by Tamura and Suwa.