This is a fine piece of Japanese filmmaking and I recommend it to everyone. It is filled with haunting moments and told in a pace modern filmmakers seldom use. I especially like the part during which one of the heroes has an affair with a beautiful noble lady who turns out to be not quite what we expect. Upon discovering this he decides to return to his wife and son. As he returns to his home at first it seems deserted but the camera pans around the room and now we see his wife sitting by the fireplace. A brilliant technical move making the scene a truly melancholic moment. The hero goes to sleep satisfied that everything is as it´s supposed to be, but awakens to a surprise.

A wonderful film but as I came to try to capture in words its beauty, I realised I had scored it 9. What possible reason could there be for not giving a 10? None at all. So a perfect film? Yes I think so because we are captivated by the main characters from the beginning, every shot is enchanting and we are drawn seamlessly through sequences of dream, of reality and fantasy. Sometimes we are more aware than others, as indeed is the same for the main protagonists. Sometimes ahead of the game but often not. Three stories are woven together as one and we find ourselves, as viewers, drawn into and out of the action, trying to assess the decisions made and keeping a hold on reality. Intelligent, compassionate and emotionally involving this superb film is so well filmed with such great understanding that it would probably work silent. Images roll effortlessly from one to another. Yes, this is cinema - hurrah!