Hanako (the wonderful Mugi Kadowaki), in her late twenties and from the rich Haibara family, suddenly finds herself alone after breaking up with her fiancé. After a round of unsuccessful attempts at ‘arranged marriages’ thanks to her family, she meets Koichiro (Kengo Kora) who is from the class of the elite – lawyers, company presidents, and politicians. The night Koichiro proposes to her, she discovers that he is romantically involved with Miki (Kiko Mizuhara, Norwegian Wood), a small town, lower class woman, who through hard work and excellent grades got herself into an exclusive Tokyo university and works part-time as a hostess to finance her studies.

Japanese writer-director Yukiko Sode makes a sophisticated drama in this adaptation from a novel by Mariko Yamauchi (Ano Ko wa Kizoku: Tokyo Noble Girl), offering a contemporary window on Japan’s challenges of a divided social class and gender society, and patriarchal systems.

Screening as part of the East Asia Film Festival Ireland 2021, March 25th to March 28th.