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[Machine Translation] Since the release of "SAYURI" in 2006, actress Kaori Momoi moved her base to Los Angeles and has been active worldwide. In this long-awaited second directorial effort, Momoi joins forces with Nakamura Fuminori, a young literary guru who has released a string of bestsellers since winning the Akutagawa Prize in 2005 for "A Child in the Ground". Nakamura is also highly acclaimed overseas, having won the David Goodis Award for his contribution to the crime fiction genre in the United States. Momoi's latest work is a suspenseful short story titled "Fire," in which a prostitute who once committed arson confesses her cursed life through a conversation with a psychiatrist. Directed, written by, and starring Momoi himself, the film had its world premiere in the Forum section of the Berlin International Film Festival this past February, captivating audiences with its overwhelming power. The film has attracted enthusiastic offers from film festivals around the world. Momoi's one-of-a-kind personality has been vividly revealed through her experience on the world stage. There is a certain life in this film. One day, Sanada, a psychiatrist working at a clinic in the U.S., is out shopping with his family. One day, while out shopping with his family, he encounters a woman in an elevator. Her voice echoes in his mind, and Sanada imagines that he is interviewing her at the clinic. Her story, however, is more spectacular than Sanada could have imagined. Her parents died in a house fire when she was a child, she was bullied at school, and her marriage partner cheated on her. After her divorce, she spent her days living in debt while working as a prostitute in the United States. As Sanada listens to her stories, she finds herself drawn into them, comparing herself to one man after another. Her story escalates and takes an unexpected turn... Director/Screenplay/Starring: Kaori Momoi

Special Feature / Bonus Track: making-of, trailer(s) (subject to change)

2006年公開の「SAYURI」以降、拠点をロサンゼルスに移し世界で活躍する女優・桃井かおり。待望の第二弾となる監督作は、05年に「土の中の子供」で芥川賞を受賞してからというもの、次々にベストセラーを放つ若き文豪・中村文則との異色のタッグが実現。犯罪小説というジャンルへの貢献を讃える米国の文学賞 (デイビッド・グーディス賞)を受賞するなど海外での評価も高い中村。今回桃井が手にしたのは、かつて放火を犯した娼婦が精神科医との対話を通じて、その呪われた生涯を独白するサスペンス風の短編「火」。桃井自ら監督・脚本・主演を務めた本作は、今年2月のベルリン国際映画祭フォーラム部門でワールド・プレミア上映されるや圧倒的な迫力で観客を魅了。各国の映画祭からの熱狂的オファーが絶えない問題作だ。世界の舞台を経て、より鮮やかに炙り出された桃井の唯一無二の個性。ここには確かな生がある。 ── アメリカでクリニックに勤める精神科医の真田。ある日、家族とショッピングに出かけた際に一人の女性とエレベーターで遭遇する。彼女の声が脳裏に響き渡り、真田は彼女とクリニックで問診している様を妄想する。しかし彼女の話は、真田の想像を超える、壮絶なものだった。幼い頃に家が火事になり両親を亡くし、学校ではイジメを受け、結婚相手からは浮気をされる。離婚してからは、アメリカで売春をしながら借金生活で過ごす毎日。彼女の話を聞く内に、次々に登場する男と自分を重ね合わせ、彼女の話に引き込まれていく真田。彼女の話はさらにエスカレートして行き、思いもよらない方向へと向かっていく・・・。 ■監督・脚本・主演: 桃井かおり

特典映像: メイキング映像 / 予告編 (予定)