Noir City: Zero Focus
February 18, 2024
Tense and spellbinding—newlywed bride Teiko sees her husband Kenichi off on one last business trip to his old office in Kanazawa; she eagerly anticipates his return. But Kenichi mysteriously vanishes and when the police move too slowly, resourceful and tenacious Teiko begins her own investigation.
Individual Tickets: $16 | $11 SIFF Members - Select showtime to purchase
Passes: $150 | $125 SIFF Members
SIFF year-round passes and vouchers are not valid for this screening.
This many-layered mystery is only one of a series of crime-laced dramas in which the great (if still largely unheralded) director Yoshitarô Nomura adapted stories by Seichô Matsumoto, one of Japan’s foremost writers of mystery fiction. Newlywed bride Teiko Uhara sees her husband Kenichi off on one last business trip to his old office in Kanazawa; she eagerly anticipates his return, so they can start their new life together. But Kenichi mysteriously vanishes. When the police move too slowly, resourceful and tenacious Teiko begins her own investigation. She gradually realizes she barely knew the man she married. In true noir fashion, her search uncovers buried secrets some people will kill to protect. Nomura’s storytelling technique, seamlessly integrating flashbacks into the present-day action, is remarkably advanced for the time. A female-centric story that’s more slow-burning character study than thriller, the terrific performances and artful technique make the film a tense and spellbinding experience. —Film synopsis courtesy of Noir City
- Original Language Title: Zero no shôten
- Director: Yoshitaro Nomura
- Principal Cast: Yoshiko Kuga, Hizuru Takachiho, Ineko Arima, Koji Nambara, Kô Nishimura
- Country: Japan
- Year: 1960
- Running Time: 95 min.
- Producer: Ichinosuke Hozumi
- Screenplay: Shinobu Hashimoto, Yoji Yamada
- Cinematographers: Takashi Kawamata
- Editors: Yoshiyasu Hamamura
- Music: Yasushi Akutagawa
- Filmography: Suspicion (1982), The Demon (1978), The Castle of Sand (1974)
- Language: Japanese
- US Distributor: Janus Films