The Kiss (2007 film)

The Kiss
Poster
Directed by	Kunitoshi Manda
Produced by	Takenori Sento
Written by	Kunitoshi Manda Tamami Manda
Starring	Eiko Koike Etsushi Toyokawa Toru Nakamura
Music by	Hiroyuki Nagashima
Cinematography	Makoto Watanabe
Release dates	November 22, 2007 (Tokyo FILMeX) March 8, 2008 (Japan)
Running time	108 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

The Kiss (Japanese: 接吻) is a 2007 Japanese crime drama film directed by Kunitoshi Manda, starring Eiko Koike, Etsushi Toyokawa and Toru Nakamura.

Plot

Kyoko Endo (Eiko Koike), a young and lonely female office worker, falls in love with Akio Sakaguchi (Etsushi Toyokawa), a man in prison for killing a whole family, at first sight when she watches a television news program telling about him. But Hasegawa (Toru Nakamura), his lawyer, worries about their relationship.

Cast

• Eiko Koike as Kyoko Endo
• Etsushi Toyokawa as Akio Sakaguchi
• Toru Nakamura as Hasegawa

Release

The 9th Jeonju International Film Festival opened with the world premiere of The Kiss in May 2008.^[1]

Reception

Lee Hyo-won of The Korea Times said, "The film traces delicate human relationships and all its melodrama, all the while expressing ― or suppressing ― emotions with restraint."^[2] Japanese film critic Inuhiko Yomota said, "I think it's a fantastic film."^[3] The film was listed by the Film Comment magazine as their "18 Films to Look Out For" in 2008 and Japanese film critic Shigehiko Hasumi said, "The ending is astonishing and all three actors are excellent, in particular Eiko Koike, who plays the young woman."^[4]

References

1. Noh, Jean (April 2, 2008). "Jeonju to kick off ninth edition with Kunitoshi's The Kiss". Screen Daily.
2. Hyo-won, Lee (April 17, 2008). "Jeonju Welcomes World Cineastes". The Korea Times.
3. Amit, Rea (February 5, 2009). "Midnight interview: Inuhiko Yomota". Midnight Eye.
4. Hasumi, Shigehiko (January–February 2008). "Terra Incognita: 18 Films to Look Out For". Film Comment.

External links

• Seppun at the Internet Movie Database