Domains

Aki took a leave of absence from her work at a Tokyo publishing company and decided to go back to her hometown for a few days. Aki was also planning on visiting Nodoka, her childhood friend, whom she had grown up with and known since elementary school and through university. Nodoka was now married to Naoto, her senior in university, and they lived together with their little daughter in a new house near Aki’s family home. Nodoka’s house was kept at a comfortable and moderate temperature and humidity, as if the family were covered with transparent film. Aki thought they secluded themselves from society. Honoka, Nodoka’s little daughter, was shy at first, but soon took to Aki as they played together. Nodoka meanwhile seemed so tired. A few days later, Aki was back at her home in Tokyo. She sat at her desk and started writing a letter, absorbed in her task. Upon finishing it, she began to read it out loud. “I killed your daughter.” Now, Aki is in the interrogation room. She begins to talk about her relationship with Nodoka—her strong attachment to her and her hatred of Nodoka’s husband, Naoto. Shifting the action to a rehearsal room, a series of script readings are undertaken in order to trace the backstory of the tragic incident.

This screening is part of Words Takeover, the fourth chapter of the online program Takeover curated by Julian Ross for e-flux Video & Film, and unfolding in six chapters between September 22 and December 15, 2022, with the films and videos of each chapter streaming for two weeks.

For more information, contact program@e-flux.com.