It's Only Talk 2005

Yuko is 30-something and single. She lives in Kamata on the outer rim of Tokyo, a place she describes as having ‘not one ounce of chic’, which is just the way she likes it. The needy men in her life all look to Yuko for emotional support, unaware of the hopelessness that sometimes overwhelms her. No one who saw the great Vibrator will be disappointed by this second collaboration of director Hiroki Ryuichi and actress Terajima Shinobu. Focusing more on Yuko’s relationships than her inner turmoil, it comes across initially as a much lighter film, but is ultimately an even more subtly affecting portrait of a woman fighting depression. This is an intensely sympathetic account of a new class of independent Japanese women for whom societal respect is far from guaranteed.

"This is powerhouse writing, directing and acting, but in that self-effacing way that marks truly honest, human cinema. Terajima Shinobu has in two short years emerged as the leading actress of her generation... I have yet to come across a better film this year, Japanese or otherwise." — Tom Mes, Midnight Eye