Sep. 15, 2012|Japan | France|109 Min.|n/A
Genre: Drama
Description: In Tokyo, Akiko, a sociology student, works as a high-end escort in secret. Her boyfriend, Noriaki, is suspicious but unaware of her double life. One evening, she is sent to meet Takashi, an elderly former professor. Surprisingly, Takashi is more interested in cooking her dinner than pursuing any physical relationship.
The following morning, Takashi drives Akiko to her university for exams. While waiting in the car, he meets Noriaki, who mistakes him for Akiko’s grandfather and seeks his blessing to marry her. Takashi doesn’t correct Noriaki’s assumption and discourages him from rushing into marriage.
After Akiko finishes her test, the three head to a bookstore. Along the way, Noriaki notices an issue with the car and convinces Takashi to visit his garage for repairs. There, they run into one of Takashi’s former students, and Akiko fears the truth about her relationship with Takashi might be exposed.
Takashi drops Akiko at the bookstore and goes home. Later, he receives a frantic call from her and returns to find her injured, though she refuses to explain what happened. Takashi takes her back to his apartment, where Noriaki shows up, threatening them and causing a disturbance. As Takashi looks out the window, an object is thrown through it, and he collapses.
“Like Someone in Love” is a French-Japanese co-production with a budget of $4.8 million. Originally scheduled for April 2011, filming was delayed due to the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. It was eventually shot over eight weeks in October 2011 in Tokyo and Yokohama. This marked director Abbas Kiarostami’s second international project, following his earlier work, “Certified Copy,” filmed in Italy.
Cast director: Abbas Kiarostami
Cast actor: Rin Takanashi, Tadashi Okuno, Ryō Kase, Denden, Tomoaki Tatsumi, Mihoko Suzuki, Kaneko Kubota, Reiko Mori, Seina Kasugai, Koichi Ohori
Original name: Like Someone in Love