“Wife of a Spy” (115 minutes), directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, is now playing until Sept. 30 at the following Laemmle theaters:
Playhouse 7, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Showtime: 4:15 p.m.
Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles. Showtimes: 1:30, 4:20, 7:20 p.m.
Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino. Showtimes: 1 and 7:10 p.m.
The year is 1940 in Kobe. Local merchant and amateur filmmaker Yusaku (Issey Takahashi) senses that things are headed in an unsettling direction. Following a trip to Manchuria, he becomes determined to bring to light the things he witnessed there and secretly filmed.
Meanwhile, his wife Satoko (Yu Aoi), an actress, receives a visit from her childhood friend Taiji (Masahiro Higashide), now a military policeman. He warns her about Yusaku’s seditious ways.
Satoko confronts Yusaku, but when she discovers his true intentions, she is torn between loyalty to her husband, the life they have built, and the country they call home.
NPR film critic John Powers said that Kurosawa “has confronted viewers with stories about ordinary lives that get invaded by darkness, be it madness or supernatural forces. Here, Satoko’s comfortable life is plunged into the nightmare of history. And she wonders whether she will ever wake up.”
In 2020, Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for Best Direction at the 77th Venice International Film Festival for “Wife of a Spy.”
He first received international acclaim with his 1997 crime thriller “Cure.” His other films include “To the Ends of the Earth,” “Before We Vanish,” “Creepy,” “Journey to the Shore,” “Pulse,” “Loft,” “Tokyo Sonata,” “Charisma” and “Bright Future.”
For tickets and more information, call (310) 478-3836 or visit www.laemmle.com.