A Piece of our Life

Just starting out at university, literature student Haru is growing more and more disenchanted with her two-timing boyfriend, but lacks both the skills to express her true desires and the motivation to try and explore them.

One day she is pushed into unfamiliar territory when approached by Riko, an outspoken woman confident in her bisexuality. Due to her obsession with human interaction through physical touch Riko has found her area of expertise in the business of prosthetic body parts. As Haru is brought deeper, and deeper into Riko's life she also travels further and further away from her own comfort zone. What at first sight may appear to be a step towards freedom soon grows into a never-ending abyss of ambivalence.

Based on a successful manga, with music composed by former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, "A Piece of Our Life" is a fine example of transmedial storytelling. When the act of heterosexual sex is reflected on the television screen - superimposed on a black-and-white war movie - you are nothing less than astonished by Andô's visual assault on conservative society.
SEBASTIAN LINDVALL

Orig. title
Kakera: Cast
Ken Mitsuishi, Hikari Mitsushima, Tasuku Nagaoka, Eriko Nakamura: Producer
Sakura Momoyama, Keiko Watanabe: Script
Yuko Shiomaki: Cinematography
Hirokaze Ishii: Music
James Iha: Spoken language
Japanese: Subtitle
English