Original subtitles

NIKKATSU PRESENTS

Missing Person's Report, Compiled on May 31, 1965.

The report is submitted as

No. 64 of 1965 at the Honjo Branch, Tokyo Metropolitan Police.

Name: Tadashi Oshima, born Jan 2, 1935, age 32.

Male. Nationality: Japanese.

Date of abscondence: April 20, 1965.

Occupation: Plastics salesman.

Permanent Domicile: Naoetsu, Niigata Prefecture.

Bodily Characteristics: 160 cm tall.

Medium-height and build. Square face with broad eyebrows.

Short, curly hair. No glasses.

Snaggletoothed.

Oshima went to Fukushima on business on April 12, 1965.

He was scheduled to return April 18 to the dormitory.

All his personal belongings were left in the dorm.

He has since disappeared.

Reason for disappearance, unknown.

In this small island, Japan, there are crowds of people.

I have no idea of where on earth he is.

He may be hiding in a hole somewhere.

It is a total mystery to us.

Do you have any idea why he disappeared, Mr. Oka?

I have no idea at all.

He had been embezzling money from the company.

When was that?

Two years before he disappeared.

- So, four years ago? - Yes.

How much?

Altogether, about 400,000 yen.

Did he return it?

Yes, we deducted it from his salary.

Did he have an expense account?

He sent most of what he was supposed to send.

So I estimate he took 60 or 70,000.

I've known him only a short time.

So I didn't have time to really get to know him.

He lived with you for 15 years. You know him well.

What kind of person is he?

We worked together since we were in Tokyo.

He's not the suave type, not at all.

He is rather weak and mild.

But his character does change when he's drunk.

You were like a mother to him, why didn't he tell you?

It is a pity he didn't.

He lived with us since my 16 years old son was born.

Since we went through his adolescent days,

I thought I knew everything about him. I was wrong.

You were his marriage go-between. Why do you think he disappeared?

He withdrew money without telling Yoshie, his fiance�.

He left her with less than 30,000 yen in the bank.

He was afraid that Yoshie would condemn him.

He is a weak man. He disappeared to avoid confrontation.

How did you arrange their first meeting?

When I was in the hospital,

my daughter and Yoshie's sister visited me.

While we were talking about Yoshie, we came to the conclusion,

that she was well-suited for Oshima.

Yoshie was working at your Kawasaki branch factory.

- Yes. - I see.

Until when did you and your brother, Tadashi, work together?

Until 1955.

I see. When did you quit?

In October, 1955.

About his disappearance,

I think your brother felt guilty over the embezzlement.

Did he say anything about it to you?

No, he didn't.

But he couldn't get rid of his sense of guilt, could he?

He returned the money he sent, but

the guilt made him reckless, I think.

How do you feel about your sister being in our movie?

I know it is difficult for Yoshie, but...

I hope that she can forget about Tadashi...

by talking about him in your movie.

By speaking her mind in the movie?

It's been a year and half since he left.

I know it must be hard for you to talk about it...

But will you tell us?

You quit the hospital, right?

The reason why I quit was because...

I got tired of being asked about him.

- So when you came... - You were annoyed?

Yes, very.

I tried to forget about him.

I tried to give him up, and went to the police to find him.

I did my best, but I just couldn't find him.

I was getting far too stressed out.

If I knew the reason why he disappeared...

I may be able to forget him.

- If you are sure of the reason? - Yes.

Do you still love him?

Yes, I do.

I can't forget about him. That means I still love him, I think.

A MAN VANISHES

Ancestors of the Oshima Family, let us know where he is.

Please, please let us know.

PRODUCED BY ART THEATER GUILD OF JAPAN & IMAMURA PRODUCTIONS

PHOTOGRAPHY by ISHIGURO Kenji MUSIC by MAYUZUMI Toshio

RECORDING by BERLYS Kenichi and TAKESHIGE Kunio

EDITING by TANJI Mutsuo

DIRECTED by IMAMURA Shohei

STARRING: YSUYUGUCHI Shigeru HAYAKAWA Yoshie

I said to him, I know you have troubles, but

I told him to return to his family.

He said he couldn't.

He wouldn't listen to me.

An ancestor of yours died in extreme agony.

She still cannot enter into the celestial world.

Do you know her? Can't recall her?

Could you find out a name or where she lived?

Let me see.

Her name is Ko...

Minami... I suppose.

She lived in Yamaguchi Prefecture.

Or thereabouts.

Was she a good woman?

She worked hard. I can see her in the front seat of a car.

He won't return until you console her spirit.

Will you try hard to remember who she is?

A woman...? I can't remember any woman...

The unhappy spirit of a woman haunts him.

He can't love women because of this unhappy spirit.

Where is the medium from?

From Sanjo.

She said that our female ancestor...

threw herself in front of a train.

We must console her spirit at a temple.

If she stops haunting him, he'll come back.

So the medium said.

Since he is haunted by her and other spirits...

he has problems with women.

The medium said so.

Do you believe such a story?

Believe it or not, I must do what the medium said.

How about you?

I don't really know for sure. I believe in the spirits...

but I try to follow them.

When my mother's spirit told us where he was,

I quickly rushed there.

I prayed to god and the medium to get my son back.

I thought I shouldn't make a fuss.

- The same medium? - Yes.

We shouldn't blow things out of proportion.

We must wait for the right time to come.

Is what the medium says right?

Yes. She is almost always right.

Yes, always right.

At least now we know he is fine.

She said he wouldn't contact us.

I sure appreciate you helping us with Tadashi.

When he hears how you've worked for us like this...

when he sees this on TV...

he might get worried and contact us.

If so, I'd be delighted. But I won't hold my breath.

If he's determined not to contact us, he never will.

So, we may continue to wait for him in vain.

You believe what the God said?

You have faith that God will come through?

Though we are afraid that Tadashi will never return,

Yoshie Hayakawa continues to wait for his return.

She still looks for him and is not seeing other men.

What do you think of that?

As for Yoshie... we, as well as Tadashi...

are causing trouble for her, so I really am sorry.

I'm just plain angry at Tadashi.

Yoshie is so kind to you.

Since he left here, I've been worrying about him so much.

He doesn't know how much I worry about him.

But strangely I have never had a dream about him.

I don't think so.

Tell me an episode about Tadashi's grandfather.

Well, he won a TV set in a lottery...

That was about 1958.

A little before the marriage of the crown prince.

When he was about to watch it,

he remembered a man of higher position in the village had no TV.

Why didn't you watch TV then?

Even a rich family in the village didn't have one.

I felt somewhat quilty about having a TV.

So I gradually became unwilling to watch it.

But everyone knew you'd won it.

Couldn't you put it in that perspective?

No, I couldn't.

Do you think being the first son is a handicap for you?

A handicap? Yes, I'd say so.

It doesn't pay, I suppose.

- Ever thought of leaving home? - Yes.

I once left home when I was 16 years old.

No, 18. I went to Hokkaido.

For how long?

Half a year. Then I was fired.

- What did you do there? - Civil worker.

Left without notice.

Now... this is Tadashi's brother.

Tadashi embezzled 400,000 yen of company money.

Did he come to consult you about that?

- That was in 1961. - 1961.

We heard from your mother that you lent some money to him.

How much? - 100,000 yen.

I see.

Your salary was 15 thousand a month.

So you took the money from your savings?

And lent him 100,000 yen?

The money you saved desperately.

It must have been a hard decision for you?

I was going to marry the next year, so I needed the money.

Tadashi was... how should I say?

I hoped his boss would go easier on him.

I also hoped it would be easier for him to continue working there.

Do you think they're hiding Tadashi's letters somewhere?

- I don't think so. - I see.

When I was six,

Tadashi's grandfather disappeared from the village.

Saichiro's mother, the one you saw in the photo,

brought Saichiro in to this village when he was four.

So Saichiro's father left his son and wife?

That's right.

So Saichiro was actually an illegitimate child?

Right. He left his family for a woman.

A woman!

Saichiro is such a kind man.

Yes, I really like him.

As the fourth son, Tadashi was given a little more than 1 acre.

Life here would have been difficult for him.

Tadashi went to Tokyo. The city he dreamed about.

He was cursed with bad luck. Ostracized by the villagers.

I see.

In rural areas people interfere in one another's business.

Why did the family keep Tadashi's disappearance a secret?

It is a dishonor.

They're eager to look for him, but they can't make it public.

The family name is all-important.

What Tadashi did doesn't concern the other villagers.

But it's a disgrace to his family.

- Family honor... ...is incredibly important.

Boys who are unlucky in their hometowns...

join medium and small-sized companies in the cities.

Thus the family system sustains such companies.

Mr. Takeuchi, Miss Taniguchi, Mr. Takei...

Good morning.

The words which Mr. Miyanaga heard from his

military senior were quite profound.

Let me read them out for you.

"To be thankful begins with gratitude for the normality."

As I always tell you...

the rice that you eat every day was produced...

by the painstaking labor of farmers throughout the year.

My mother would yell at me when I wasted even a grain of rice.

She insisted that I never waste a grain...

since I had never farmed even a grain.

I was separated from my mother at age eight.

But I still remember her words.

So never forget to give gratitude for nature.

Some parents don't impart this to their children.

So in place of your mothers and fathers...

I will tell you myself.

As time passes by after you leave your homes...

you gradually become more Ionely.

You starve for human contact.

- Something warm. - To depend on others.

As the president said, regard him as a father.

Come to depend on him.

We don't like to see our products spoiled...

with dust and hairs. So we pondered what to do.

We decided it best to wrap them in clear plastic.

Unlike other youths in today's world...

Tadashi respected his elders, like people used to.

He didn't regard things too rashly.

He was basically a kind and obedient man.

Even at inconvenient hours, he worked as his boss asked.

He used to work until 11 o'clock when he lived with Mr. Oka.

Did Tadashi lose any chance for promotion with his crime?

I certainly think so.

He really worried about it.

I don't think we gave him a hard time or anything...

as other people may think we did.

His conscience was hard enough on him.

He worried about what people thought of him.

Most companies would fire someone like him on the spot,

but our company gave him another chance.

We tried to have him return the money from his salary.

He was well taken care of by President Oka.

He was like a father?

Treated almost like a child, even when he reached 30.

He is not a very independent man.

Mr. Oka called him Tadashi?

Yes, first name basis.

Doesn't that show his dependency?

What did you think of him as a co-worker?

Well... I don't think... he wasn't very capable.

- He drank a lot. - So I hear.

He lacked enthusiasm. He wasn't very capable.

When he had money, he'd spend it all.

We keep a lot of cash at the office.

Yes, he had a girlfriend.

She worked for a knitting mill nearby.

They planned to get married.

He really didn't love her. But she sure loved him.

You know Tadashi Oshima? - Yes I do.

What was he like?

He was kind, but a bit of a wimp.

You worked for a factory near the Oka plant, right?

Hello.

May I ask you a very personal question?

What was the relationship with Oshima?

- She was a year or two older than him? - Yes... yes.

I advised her to give him up.

He seemed unwilling to marry to her. She was worried.

First impressions tell a lot about a person.

Did he get her pregnant?

There is no doubt.

When you spoke of the pregnancy...

the out-of-wedlock pregnancy. What did he say?

I got angry and demanded to know what his plans were.

He wouldn't answer clearly.

I told my sister that she had no chance with a guy like that.

I told him to at least pay for the abortion.

The madam loved Oshima.

Oshima loved another woman. It was kind of love triangle.

- No... - I remember...

When I read his love letters...

From whom?

So who from?

He was blessed, I think.

I have never received such letters!

Women just seem to like him for some reason.

What did they say?

Both of them wrote "I can't live without you."

Both women wrote the same things.

He was a heavy drinker?

You often drank together?

Yes, he was a customer and a nice guy.

Did he... ever come on to you? In any way?

I can't really say.

Did he talk about his problems?

He sounded like he wanted to, but he didn't say much.

Did he bring his girl here?

- Yes. - Who?

Her name... you just said it. Yes, Kimi.

He introduced Kimiko to me. He said he'd marry her.

But after all, Kimiko was rejected by Tadashi.

You know Kimiko well.

- Yes, I do. - Tell me about her.

Very flashy, I remember.

Did Oshima love Kimiko as much as she loved him?

Or did he love her more than she loved him?

Oshima loved her more, I guess.

I'd like to ask about Kimiko.

Around the time when she quit, on July 15, 1960...

did you notice she changed?

What do you mean? - Her attitude to Oshima.

Kimiko became cold to him.

She became very business-like to him.

What caused this?

She had another boyfriend.

Do you know his name?

Mr. Ozawa.

What does he do?

He's an employee at Sumida Co.

I didn't know about Oshima at all that time.

In the end, my existence hurt Oshima.

If I had only known Oshima and Kimiko were in love...

Of course we talked about us.

We asked Matsumoto for help.

Since I couldn't stand her relationship with Oshima...

I left her.

When Kimiko left Oshima and went home to Iwate...

how did he take it?

After we told Tadashi to give her up...

he came downstairs and walked into the kitchen.

Did he look disturbed?

Did he look disturbed?

Was he?

Did he look mad?

He didn't when I saw him upstars.

What did he order? A bottle of beer?

He asked her to give him bottles to break.

He smashed them and then cried.

Did he get violent?

- He just broke the bottles. - And he just cried?

He didn't cry out loud.

- He wept. - Not like a girl.

Did he say "I'll kill Kimiko?"

No, he didn't.

I felt both men were being manipulated by her.

She was playing them off against each other.

Oshima spent all his savings on her.

He thought she betrayed him since he'd trusted her.

He's the type of man who is easily led by others.

He's always being lead by others, I guess.

You loved Tadashi, didn't you?

Yes.

Can such feelings change so quickly?

Do you think my love for him ended so suddenly?

But you didn't tell either of them your feelings.

Can a woman love two men at the same time?

You told Ozawa that you were dating Oshima.

I told him later.

- Later? - I wrote him a letter.

So why did you come to love Ozawa more than Oshima?

Because Ozawa worked for bigger company.

He's a college graduate, so his future is promising.

Because he's more promising, you were attracted to him?

But you promised to marry Oshima. You even had a ring.

I want to know how you dropped him.

What prompts such a life?

Such a life?

Let's say, if I were engaged to Tadashi Oshima...

and another man appeared...

I could never switch over to the new man.

Were your parents' objections, his future and his embezzlement?

His environment probably formed him...

but he looked like such a child.

Always kowtowing to his boss and the boss's wife.

I hated to see him like that.

We heard you were pregnant with his child.

If you find Oshima, you'll learn the truth.

Despite what you may have heard...

I don't sleep around before marriage.

There must be some truth to the story.

I wonder if you have had Tadashi's child?

When I heard the rumor...

I tried to give him up. He belonged with his child and you.

Why did you get suspicious if you loved Oshima?

It's out of the question. It happened before I met him.

But you love him now, don't you?

You must believe me that we weren't intimate.

I can't believe that.

Me, neither.

I wan't to find Oshima to ask about it.

So do I.

The saying goes "No smoke without fire."

I can't believe the rumor is totally false.

I've nothing more to say.

I think you are close to his ideal type of woman.

What do you think, Kimiko?

I don't really think I was his type.

I've never thought about it.

What do you think of me searching for Oshima?

I think you love him and want to marry him.

But I doubt he will be happy if he found out.

That's what I suspect.

You mean if I find him, it may annoy him?

I don't know, really don't know.

You mean because he has probably started a new life?

Yes.

But with the guilt of betraying her and the embezzlement...

how can he start a happy life?

I think such a life would be very fragile.

How could he show his face?

And he should say clearly to me, "There's another woman I love."

"So I can't marry you." Like a man.

If he left because of this engagement to you...

I wonder if that's because he couldn't forget Kimiko?

Makes me wonder if I'm so unattractive.

You shouldn't blame yourself.

Yes.

At least he's not with Kimiko. She doesn't know where he is.

He may have another woman, or just feel guilt over the money.

Did Yoshie find the hidden camera?

She saw it when she entered the room.

When she got excited, she forgot about it, though.

How about Kimiko?

She didn't notice it.

Did she say she knew where Oshima was?

She said she knew things that we don't know.

Here is the progression of his last known movements.

Oshima was last seen in this vicinity.

As far as we can gather.

In Fukushima.

He may have said something about where he was.

He went to Shirakawa, Koriyama, then Fukushima.

And Inawashiro, Wakamatsu

Aizu-Wakamatsu was the last place, right?

Something may have happened. We want to know what.

Let's investigate it thoroughly.

We may find something about Kimiko, too.

It was April 15. In 1965.

April 15, 1965.

Do you give checks or cash?

We always deal in checks.

What time was it?

I think it was around noon.

Was Oshima the salesman-type?

We didn't meet each other so often...

He didn't give off a strong impression.

He was hardly suited for sales.

He didn't come in April.

- But every month previously? - Yes. He came on a business trip every month.

- But not last April. - Right.

When he came here, I often...

He always came in the evenings.

After work, we often went out to drink.

We often walked in the crowded streets.

We often drank together.

You like drinking? - Yes, I do.

I heard Mr. Oshima likes to drink. Did he drink much?

Yes, he drank a lot.

Oshima went out to drink with you.

We walked all over.

Once I start, I like to visit a few places.

We don't go to any shady places, though.

You sometimes danced?

Yes, he danced.

I heard he was popular.

Yes, he was very popular with the girls.

So you paid, but the girls went for Oshima.

He was popular because he was quiet.

- Are quiet men always popular? - Well, quite often, yes.

He always worried about his hair. I don't have much left though.

He had a lot of hair. He always looked neat, his hair done.

A pompadour? - Yes.

He never failed to do his hair. It never looked messy.

Didn't he like women?

He also had his feelings.

That kind of man tends to be dangerous.

- Did he drink here often? - Yes, I think so.

How many times did he come?

- A couple of times, I guess. - I see.

KAIZO ITO, GIFU PLASTIC CO. The two have been drinking here?

Ito said he's from Tokyo?

He and Oshima came here and chatted over drinks.

I don't recall if he said he was from Tokyo.

Did they talk about Tokyo?

I didn't listen.

- Ito works near Oshima's place. - That sounds right.

You heard them say so?

I had other customers.

Their way of talking made me believe they were friends.

Just the way they talked together.

Thank you.

Why didn't he go to Kimura in April?

He went to 3 places on the 15th. So he was in Fukushima.

We aren't sure about the 15th and the 16th.

But after the 17th he visited his regular places.

We'll learn more in Kunimi.

April 17, 1965, right?

The places Oshima visited.

How did he pay the bill?

With a check issued by the Kangyo Bank in Fukushima.

- He paid by check? - Yes.

We want to know whether he withdrew money from the bank.

We don't know about before he came to see us.

He had enough time to, I suppose.

Yes, On April, 17th... yes. Issuing check.

The issuing number was 008574, out of Gifu.

We were surprised to learn that Oshima is missing.

He didn't appear to be acting strangely.

When he showed us the products.

He sent the money he collected on the 16th.

The 16th is the settlement date.

He kept the date, which proves he didn't go crazy.

And he cashed the check of the 17th, right?

When I checked our books...

our Honjo office asked our branch to remit the money...

to the Honjo Branch in Tokyo.

Endorsed by the Oka Company.

It means the check was not cashed here.

He could have cashed the check if he tried to.

- But he didn't have money. - But he didn't cash the check.

It is strange.

We must investigate about events in Wakamatsu.

When I looked at the photo, I think...

he might have been here, but we have no record.

Salesmen are likely to disappear suddenly.

It happens once every year or two.

It is not so unusual.

So I don't pay much attention to such cases.

He didn't visit any clients where they pay by check.

He thought of going somewhere in Wakamatsu.

You are right.

What time was it?

- It was... - Around noon.

How did he look then?

Just as usual, I think.

But I found... as he left us...

he looked at the clock and said he'd catch the express.

He asked me to call a taxi.

What taxi company? - Wakamatsu Taxi.

I felt strange, because he always walked to the station.

That was the last I saw of him.

- The taxi came soon? - Yes.

- Did he head for the station? - He said so.

- He went in that direction. - Yes, he did.

He said he would take the express to Tokyo...

which departs at 2.00 or 3.00.

He didn't look hurried.

He looked Ionely if you ask me.

He sat there.

He looked at this schedule.

And he looked up and down, like this.

In hindsight, he looked Ionely to me.

So he took a train to Ueno, Tokyo?

No one takes the expresses just to Fukushima.

- How about a car? - No.

He has broad eyebrows and is tanned by the snow.

We're trying to find out more than just his looks.

People can't remember faces in such a short time.

Too many people to find.

Is this your record of fares?

This one went to Suehiro-cho Station.

So you drove Mr. Oshima to the station after this one?

Well... it was two years ago.

So, about 3:00 on the 13th you drove the passenger

from Nakado to Suehiro-cho?

Yes, I did.

Where did he go after he got out of your cab?

He asked me to wait and headed for the bar.

And then?

He came back and paid me the fare.

Then he went back into the bar.

We don't get many young customers here.

Why not try Higashiyama Springs?

We've got information about him in Fukushima.

But little of it is useful.

No news about the 16th.

We can only try to track his movements.

It's starting to become like an investigation.

It could look that way.

He was probably mixed up with a woman.

I understand.

The fact that he was so stressed out...

tells us that he yearned for something.

I wonder if the woman called Nezumi comforted Oshima.

He wasn't comforted by her.

I suspect he had another woman who was understanding.

I also suspect she's involved with the events of the 16th.

- In Tokyo? - Yes.

He didn't have the time to know a woman.

He remitted money and left his bag.

He probably planned everything beforehand.

If he had planned it, he could have gone earlier.

Yes, he didn't plan what he did.

We must look deeply and then focus on...

his feelings and any changes to his feelings.

We must approach it from the view of our film-making.

We must come up with more useful information.

We should be bold.

So he must be in Tokyo with a woman.

When did you check Oshima's room?

That was the 26th.

This was Mr. Oshima's room.

- May I go in? - Sure.

We found checks and his job record in this closet.

His samples case?

Around here, on this shelf.

I see.

Have you got yours? May we see it?

Not that way.

Yes, that's it.

Should be easy to find.

I was away for 4 days from the 23rd.

- 23rd, 24th, 25th, 26th... it was... - I came back on the 26th.

The 25th was a Sunday. Everyone was here.

So it was the 23rd or the 24th.

Why did he come back here?

If he had a woman in Tokyo...

he came to get something that concerned her.

- It must have concerned her... - You know anything about that?

He must have had a reason to disappear.

He couldn't get away from his responsibilities as a salesman.

That's one of his biggest problems.

It's a big part of his makeup.

It does look like him.

Miss Hayakawa found the photo.

The nose is similar.

The cheek bones are distinctive.

The body was found on June 13th.

This river usually has a good view.

A body usually surfaces after a week or so...

if it flows into this river.

This body does closely resemble the photograph.

The physique, face, cheeks are all alike.

His trousers and sash were at his feet.

From looking at the body, he's probably only 17 or 18.

I'm afraid the body is not Mr. Oshima's.

The last time you saw him was...

April 3rd, 1965. Is that right, Mr. Kasahara?

Yes, before I played golf, so it was a Saturday.

You promised to meet and go drinking with him.

We hadn't met for so long.

- This was the 2nd bar that night. - Yes.

This is his fianc�e, Ms. Yoshie.

Did he mention anything about her that night?

He said he didn't want to marry for the time being.

He didn't want to marry anytime soon.

Did you know he was engaged?

Yes, he went to see his parents, I heard.

To say he was not willing to marry?

Yes, he told them so.

Did you talk only about the engagement?

No, about other things, too.

- But he didn't want to marry? - No, he didn't.

Did he talk about it?

He said that before he knew it the engagement was all fixed.

The woman herself was good, but her sister wasn't legally married.

And he said he didn't want to marry into that.

That's what he said at first.

He said... It is hard to say this, but...

his fianc�e's sister is someone's lover, not legally married.

He didn't want to run into her when he visited his fianc�e.

So... he didn't want to visit his fianc�e.

That's what he said.

- I see. - That's what I remember.

I told him to separate the two issues.

Think about your fianc�e, not about her sister.

I told him the problem was between him and Yoshie.

When was that?

It was in 1965. I think it was the month before

he actually disappeared.

One month before...?

I think it was Feb. Or March.

His fianc�e's sister is someone's lover, not legally married.

He didn't want to run into her when he visited his fianc�e.

He said that he didn't want to marry soon.

I wonder if the woman called Nezumi comforted him?

I don't think there was anything going on...

I tried not to listen to what I didn't want to hear.

I tried to ignore a lot.

I don't want to admit certain things.

Oshima knew that you lived with a boyfriend?

Do you depend on him financially?

I am not sure what you mean "to depend on financially."

Oshima worried about this a lot.

Does that concern indicate it was true?

I am not sure.

Be more frank.

Why would Oshima worry about that so much?

Who is this man in your life?

If Oshima disappeared because of me,

it would be a big problem.

But at the time you never suspected?

I have a short temper, especially if I drink.

Why shouldn't she have a lover?

But I don't know if she depends on him.

Well, she said so.

I know that now, but

I've never asked her about boyfriends and money...

But you should have known what Oshima knew.

It's only natural. Why didn't you know?

Did you know about it?

When we went out to dinner,

we ran into Oshima once.

It was before Yoshie came home from work.

- By chance? - Yes.

And then?

I don't remember what happened next.

We just ran into him.

Did you talk?

Well, we didn't avoid him.

Do you think Yoshie would be happy if she married Oshima?

Couples don't feel true happiness,

without living together for some years.

They have to argue at first, like all other couples.

Couples should cover their mutual defects, I believe.

Was he jealous because Oshima and Yoshie got on so well?

I don't think so. I was just happy being with them.

She kept sticking to us.

A bit of an exaggeration!

I enjoyed the atmosphere.

- The athmosphere... - Yes, right...

The general atmosphere of it.

But it annoyed you?

I would never "serve" him, like women do.

You should do it naturally.

No time for that! You kept pouring his drinks all night.

To be honest, yes.

So I just sat there pouting, watching TV.

You said I'd been cold to him after he left.

We didn't need to fight for him, you know.

That's why I just kept watching TV.

I should have been more considerate.

"He isn't your husband" is what I wanted to say.

I had many other things to say to you.

When I said take a bath, you said it was too cold.

I was always alone... So when we had visitors...

- You enjoyed being with them? - Right.

Yes. I wasn'tjealous, because they were on such good terms.

I want Mr. Oshima to come right out...

and say he doesn't want to marry me any more...

Who knows where he is? He may have someone...

How shall I put this?

He may be living happily now.

I think if that were true, then it is a real sin.

What do you mean?

Lf, as a result of your search...

you find him living someplace happily.

He may be unable to face things...

and he may have no place to turn to.

I just worry that he may commit suicide.

This may sound cold...

But I worry about Mr. Oshima rather than blaming him.

It's sinful that I may drive him to suicide.

If you did, I'd feel sorry and sad because I'm your sister.

So don't kill yourself.

I won't because that's more embarrassing.

It's not easy to commit suicide.

I'll survive even if someone tries to kill me.

You must find happiness.

But happiness built on an unstable base is quite fragile.

However poor you may be...

you may feel a happiness that you can't express.

I really think so.

My face seems to have hardened.

I've noticed it myself.

If no one was here, I'd beat her.

You'd beat your sister?

I know it would get me nowhere.

- Why do you want to beat her? - She's so dirty.

- You say she's dirty? - Yes!

Underhanded?

Everyone is, including you.

That's enough.

You object to your sister being supported by a man?

No more. Please leave. I want to be alone.

You really hate your sister that much?

- Yes, I do. - Why is that?

Some trouble from when you were kids?

I don't now.

You look quite upset now.

I really find it hard to understand...

why you hate her so much.

What is it, then?

You don't seem to understand her at all.

It is strange.

About Yoshie and her sister, Sayo...

They've been on bad terms since childhood.

They were evacuated from town during the war.

Yoshie really hated her sister very much.

For no real reason she'd often beat her.

Sayo didn't hit back at Yoshie, or tell her to stop it.

So it's like Yoshie always lords it over Sayo.

Of course Sayo is older than Yoshie.

Yoshie has a short temper.

She was opposed to living in Asakusa with Sayo,

and being supported... ...financially, by her.

They lived together for a while.

It was just after she got engaged to Tadashi.

That's right.

- Yoshie was... - Strong-willed!

Look, don't tell anybody.

When we had an argument...

she'd pull my hair. Once she bit me until I bled.

That's how she was!

If you allow me to use the word, 'hatred'...

did you ever feel a physical revulsion towards her?

Once-quite disgusting. See, we'd never slept together before...

and her breasts would touch up against me.

Real soft and bouncy, like the texture ofjelly.

Apparently the Hayakawa family descends from Samurai.

Yes, from Shibata, Niigata Pref.

- Yoshie's father is...? - 10th generation, I think.

What was your grandfather?

The firstjudge of the Shibata Court.

This Hayakawa family chonicle was written by your father?

Yes, he rewrote an earlier one from the 9th generation.

I heard the original was destroyed by fire.

Your father seems to have put many stories in the family memo.

Yoshie tells me that he was strict.

Yes, he was.

Strict and puritan, I heard.

Can you tell me an episode that shows him in that light?

Let me see.

It was one year before he died.

He took out an antique, heirloom sword he'd inherited.

He asked me to pawn the sword for him.

- A family treasure? - Yes.

But the pawn shop owner lent us money without me...

having to give up the sword. "Not with a family treasure" he said.

So my husband put it aside reverently.

But even months before he died,

he started to worry about it.

He asked the pawnshop owner to take the sword.

He couldn't pay him.

You think Yoshie takes after your husband?

Yes, both are strong and puritan.

What's your mother like?

Quite slovenly, I think.

I guess I take after my mother.

My dead sister often said I was just like mother.

Of them all, Sayo is the most warm-hearted.

She's been very kind to me and our family.

Over the years I've observed them.

Sayo has always been the kindest of them all.

When Tadashi saw Yoshie and her sister talking...

he felt Yoshie spoke far too straightforwardly.

He wished that Yoshie was as gentle as her sister.

It's shameful to say,

but Sayo entered into the Willow World.

As an apprentice geisha.

So Sayo studied to be a geisha and Yoshie didn't like it.

Yoshie didn't want anyone to know about it at all.

She didn't want any disgrace for her family.

Sayo moved in here because she disliked that geisha house.

As we were short-handed, I employed her.

- It was when she was 20 or 21. - That's right.

Then what?

Then, she said she wanted to be a geisha.

- Her own choice? - Yes.

I still don't know why I wanted to be one.

I just wanted not to bother anybody and be independent.

But my skills as a geisha didn't improve much...

because I was just coasting.

A quiet girl.

- Was she ever in love? - Never! She's not the type.

Honest and sincere?

As much as a geisha can be!

Compared to the other geisha, she was.

It was pitiful. She had no choice but to enter the life.

Was she attractive?

Not particularly attractive, she really wasn't cut out for it.

How did you get to know Sayo?

One month after I opened the Yukara...

I was short-handed, so I called her to work there.

- The Yukara is a bar? - Yes.

- It used to be here. - Yes.

- You owned the bar? - Not really.

After that...? After I sold the bar?

She lost herjob, so I told her to became a driver.

Because you can live off it till you're at least 50.

She took a long time to get her driver's license.

She's been working as a driver for more than two years now.

Miss Hayakawa, if Mr. Oshima shows up...

would you still want to marry to him?

It would be difficult.

It depends on whether he still loves me.

I don't necessarily want him to come back for me.

I'd rather he returned for his aged parents' sake.

That sounds very noble.

But it suggests that you're just trying to look good.

And this search is really for your own sake.

Not for his aged parents.

After 3 months of investigation, do you know why he vanished?

Did anyone object to filming the search for him?

Did you agree to the director's offer simply in order to find him?

So Yoshie and Sayo lived up on the fifth floor, right?

Right.

So Oshima was a constant visitor. It's important to the story.

That's the train line.

The station on our right.

Nezumi is good in front of a camera.

A real actress.

She knows all the poses.

Just after Oshima disappeared,

Nezumi, "The Rat", told us that her sister was suspicious of her.

I could be wrong, but maybe she plotted the whole thing between her and her sister.

It's a possibility...

Led to an interview by an actress called "Rat!"

You're saying it's all fiction...?

No, our film's non-fiction. But...

For example, the hatred towards Kimiko and Nezumi's hatred of Sayo...

since childhood, are on the same line.

Or a sex-related, inferiority complex. With complications.

Well, who was it who said that earlier...?

To investigate the relationship between sisters is meaningful.

As we delve deeper, the truth may become known.

The whole thing strikes me like it's a double image.

Any proof?

She does look at herself quite objectively.

But sometimes she makes me unsure.

Which is the real one?

It's like she's acting the part of herself.

She sees herself as The Rat.

We need Oshima's version.

We surely do! More than anything.

- They looked like husband and wife? - I thought so.

The old man said when he rented the room...

he wanted his employees to stay here when traveling.

When they came from elsewhere they'd stay there.

It would certainly save them paying for hotels.

- So you rented it to him? - Yes.

Afterwards, I sometimes saw a woman with a wig box.

About "The Rat", Miss Hayakawa...

so you feel she's changed recently?

Is she starting to like you?

Yes... well... I can't...

I can't deny what you say.

During our investigation... Since that TV coverage,

Since then... just being on TV had an influence...

There's a definite excitement...

I felt something... how can I describe it...? She's weakened.

She seems to have lost her zeal to find him.

Originally she wanted to find him.

But if she's fallen in love with you...

She has no reason to keep looking for Oshima.

That's what we've noticed.

Basically I'm on her side.

But if it is true, I mean, if she does love me...

It would be rather an awkward situation, a bad feeling.

But it is quite a new and a solid fact.

I'd like to push this research a bit further.

It is as if the distance between Oshima and me has increased.

Since when?

I can't remember. Sometime during these past 6 months.

Before I started the film, I thought I could never forget him.

But after all the difficulties, maybe I can.

How about seeing him now?

I think I could muster up a smile for him.

He has become a memory to me.

See the crow.

- I don't like them. - You don't like crows?

The reason you hate them, is itjust a feeling?

- Yes, something... - You hate crows.

They're so grotesque.

This place makes me forget my everyday worries.

I wish I didn't have to work.

Why did you fall in love with me?

I don't know.

Since when?

I don't know. I think at first it was because I was Ionely.

I felt empty, I still feel that emptiness.

Who do you love more, Oshima or me?

Currently I'd have to say it's you.

But I may fall for another man in the future.

What you said to me...

reminds me of what you were criticizing earlier.

It's totally different from what you just said now.

I don't mean to criticize you, but...

I think people sometimes theatrically produce themselves.

They perform according to that which they, themselves, plot.

I feel...

I love only you, but...

I think that frowning on a love for 2 people is far too narrow.

And before that?

Even before I loved only you.

Or, I made myself believe it's only you.

That may be a conceited view.

If I must leave you, it will be against my will.

I thought I should do volunteer work.

Go someplace where I won't be in need of someone else.

For the rest of my life I won't be the Yoshie you think you know.

I'll be nothing but a worker in a group.

I thought that's probably the best thing for me.

Recently, however, I've begun to pity such a life.

I feel I deserve some love.

What shocked me was... how my sister got suspicious...

that there was something between Oshima and me.

I couldn't figure out why she even pictured us like that.

At the time she acted strange towards me.

But different to how she was strange yesterday.

I was quite shocked.

So shocked that I discussed it with my boss.

I never noticed how she felt about us.

He agreed if he saw us like that, he'd be suspicious, too.

But I was shocked.

Is it Tadashi?

It is him, right?

Please don't ask me anything.

Everyone is worried about you.

Why can't you go back?

- I just can't. - Why not?

- They want you to. - You're alive, aren't you?

Well are you?

Are you dead?

That's right. Yes, I am dead.

When did you die?

Three months ago.

Where did you die?

Don't ask me anything. It's too late now.

Please don't ask me anything.

Murder or suicide?

You can't know my pain.

I had a nightmare last night.

I was chasing after two white cats with a knife and...

I slashed at them with the knife.

Then I put the half-dead cats in a wooden box.

I banged the wooden lid onto the box.

While the cats desperately tried to escape.

I was hammering a nail onto the cover.

It was too long and it went through cat's head, into it's eye.

I shuddered to realize that I have such cruelty within me.

She used to come to do her hair once a week.

She said she was learning to drive.

She hasn't been here since then.

Did you know her occupation?

She looked like a mistress, someone's lover.

I doubt that she worked.

Anything unusual about her?

Every visit she made a phone call.

Where is the phone?

It's in the back.

She said her sister visited her on Sundays.

I see.

So she mentioned you.

I think she meant we lived separately.

Right. That fits.

She didn't want to say you lived together.

That's right.

I heard the door open, I saw her at the entrance.

She was with a man.

I asked who he was and she said it was her brother.

I remember he looked young, like a student.

You saw his face?

Yes, when he turned around.

I saw both of them.

What I remember is his broad eyebrows.

- This is him? - Yes!

Where did you see him?

You know where the train line crosses?

There used to be a bicycle-trailer shop there.

It was by the shop. I remember I was on my bike.

Not many people about...

He looked away, so I thought he knew me.

- Knew you? - Yes.

The woman in the photo you showed me.

Yes, her. She was walking with him.

I remember quite well, that means I saw them 3-4 times.

When was this?

Well... it was...

He was in a polo-shirt, so that means...

Have to be summer. - I think so.

Would you say it was the summer of 1964?

She lived in that building since 1964.

And she moved out in November, 1966.

I do remember he was always dressed drably.

- Wearing a polo shirt? - Yes.

That makes it tough.

Which one did you see? The one on the left or the right?

- The one on the right. - The one on the right.

- It was her with him? - Yes, definitely.

I just can't imagine why they'd be out walking together.

- No mistake? - No.

How did they seem?

Well, at first I thought they were brother and sister.

Not from their conversation, more from their gestures.

How closely did they walk together?

Normal distance. They weren't in arm in arm.

Were they trying to avoid being seen?

Rather than that, they looked very serious.

Serious, you say?

And they were talking?

Yes, they were talking.

Men often meet your gaze but he didn't notice me.

It's a narrow street.

Your sister poisoned him.

- Poisoned him... - Killed by poison?

Yes.

She killed him with poison.

The spirit saw it all.

Why did her sister kill Tadashi?

You should know the answer.

As you well know, he was her sister's fiance.

They had intimate relations.

That is what a man should not do.

Why did she kill him?

She wanted to have all his love.

Don't you understand? She wanted him.

She killed him because she couldn't have him.

It is too late now.

She poisoned him and he is no longer with us.

It is too late.

- Where did she kill him? - What a question! You should know.

- I should know it? - Yes.

- Why should I? - Why shouldn't you?

You're her sister. Ask her yourself!

- Ask my sister? - Yes.

She knows well?

Yes, it is a simple matter.

I want to know the truth. Will you be honest?

About what?

Well...

Did you ever call Tadashi while he was at work?

No, I never did.

- Not even once? - Never.

Why?

Did he ever call you? - Never, not once.

How would he know how to contact me?

Did you ever visit him at his office?

Did you ever go there?

I had my shop to go to, so I sometimes did.

After the bankruptecy?

No, after that I had no reason to.

Until I started working in Kanda again.

Did you ever meet him at the mezzanine?

There's no mezzanine there.

Ah, yes, there was one.

Did you ever call him from there?

No, because I don't know his phone number.

I know it now because I often call there nowadays.

The operator remembers your voice.

Never! I want to see her and confirm that.

I couldn't have called, I didn't know his number.

I had no need to call him.

When did you work there as an telephone operator?

From Oct, 1964...

- Where you still there when Oshima disappeared? - Yes, I was.

Did he get calls from women?

A couple of times.

Do you recognize the voice?

No, they're different.

Where did she call from?

I don't know that. I thought it was Fujikoki, or Kanda.

Fujikoki or Kanda...

Did she give her name?

Miss Hayakawa, she said.

Hayakawa?

You were in Kawasaki.

Was it me, from Kaukasuu?

I couldn't very sure, but I thought it was Kanda.

I see. Can you compare my voice with the voice you heard?

Completely different.

I see.

Listen again.

All right.

I'm going out tomorrow afternoon.

How about the next day?

I'll be gone for two days.

Well I'm not coming back until Monday.

I see.

How about that? Did it sound familiar?

Yes, it does.

What's her name?

It's the Miss Hayakawa I know.

She sounds different to how I do?

Very different.

That's the evidence, I never phoned.

First, I had no reason to.

Yes. That's why I asked.

I really don't think people can remember voices after one call.

It'd take a few times before you'd remember.

She remembers your voice. So you often called him.

Which other Hayakawa could it be?

I really don't know.

Let's leave that for now.

I'm offended that you're suspicious of me.

While I was out...

did Tadashi ever come and visit our old place?

Never in the daytime.

Just that one time when we got confused about stations.

- That was at night. - Yes.

The only other time was...

when my boss asked you and me to dinner.

Tadashi and you asked me to dinner on the same day.

Just those two times.

- That was at night, too. - Yes.

He was seen entering the building a few times during the day.

How can you explain that?

He never came to my room.

I wasn't at home. I was working.

He may have come while I was out. But I didn't see him.

Why would he, if I wasn't home?

What did he visit you for?

How would I know? I'm not Oshima.

I never met him without you.

And I really hate your questions.

I can't understand why you keep questioning me.

Ever seen this man here?

Once... no, a couple of times.

Your customer?

He never came to the shop, no.

When I was out delivering, I saw him under the railway line.

He looked away, so I thought he might know me.

The other time was when I was making deliveries.

I saw him leaving the Sawara building.

He hurried away as if he didn't want anyone to spot him.

That made me think we knew each other.

Do you know this woman?

I know her, she's a customer. She often walks past here.

Going to the hair dresser, I think.

I saw her walking with him.

- Together? - Yes.

Was it in summer?

Two or three years ago. They were walking together.

Walking together on the same street as her building.

I was coming out of the street opposite and I saw them.

30 meters ahead of me.

Was that in winter?

How do you explain this?

I was never out with him.

You know the fish shop called "Ototoya?"

Yes, I do.

You always buy fish there. He knows you, so he isn't mistaken.

Yes, but I never...

- You never walked with a young man? - No, never.

It was you. Otherwise it's just far too coincidental.

That wasn't me.

If you insist, I should believe you...

but everyone we asked said they saw you two together.

How do you explain that? - Ask the people downstairs.

You have to pass by them on the way up here.

I never saw them in their office.

In summer they left the door open.

They'd see me every time.

I even joked about them "guarding" the entrance.

I never saw anyone from there when I lived here.

You weren't here in the daytime.

What about when I took time off from work?

You stayed in your room.

I went out once in the daytime when

Tadashi and I visited his sister.

I was never with a young man. I don't know any young men.

I can't imagine what happened during the day.

My boss sometimes visited me.

I never saw Tadashi in a polo shirt.

Neither did I.

Then why was he spotted coming out of the place?

I really don't know.

If it was just the once, it could be a mistake.

But he was spotted more than once.

How should I know?

But...

I really don't know.

I want to make that clear.

Me, too. That's why I'm here talking to you.

I don't care about work.

I want to see these people making the allegations.

Please do!

I think you know something about his disappearance.

Did he talk it over with you?

Why would he? Now I wish he had come over.

If he had, I could tell you why he vanished.

You shouldn't be so suspicious.

I didn't want to. That's why I've waited.

I'm offended that you doubt me.

And upset that everyone says they saw me with him.

So meet them and talk to them.

I want the truth to come out.

I don't want to distrust my sister.

But everyone is pointing the finger at you.

I want the truth to come out.

You know that I'm not the flashy type.

If I were, then sure, go ahead and criticize me.

I hate that they speak ill of me!

Especially to you!

Do you remember when I went to Kofu?

Yes, I do.

I've carried this since then.

I felt something was strange when you asked me about

Tadashi and I back then.

- I wondered why. - I never mentioned it then!

Come in.

Please. - Thank you.

Do you remember him? - No, I don't.

- You remember me? - Yes, when I saw your photo.

Do I look the same now?

Was it me?

Well, what should I say?

You often walked past my shop, so I remember you.

What was I wearing?

Well, as I remember...

You didn't wear make-up.

- You remember the hairdresser? - What was I wearing?

- I can't remember... - Not my face, my clothes.

What I remember was...

A cardigan. It was a cardigan, or something like that.

What kind of cardigan?

I don't mind being suspected.

I'm just telling the truth. I'm not making up a story.

It's true.

Is that the photo he saw?

Yes, this is the one.

When was it taken?

The last time we met.

I'm so ugly. - And this one.

Is that what I look like?

Yes, it looks very natural.

You weren't aware you were being photographed.

This one convinces me that it was her.

My hair was never like that back then. You're mistaken.

- That photo - With Tadashi.

He has characteristic features.

It would be natural for me to be seen with him.

So I wouldn't try to hide it, would I?

Let's examine that, then.

Do you know him?

Who?

Pass him the photo.

Yes. I remember him well. No mistake.

- Only once? - How many times?

A couple of times.

- But... - Or maybe even more.

- Where did you see him? - The bike-trailer show.

- Bike-trailer? - Near the bridge.

Well...

Then how about the Okuma Pawn shop?

I don't know it.

The first time, he was on the street.

But he looked away from me. He wouldn't meet my eyes.

I thought maybe I knew him.

Quite often I don't remember customers.

But they remember me and say hello.

That's what I thought it was.

Funnily enough, I don't remember your face.

Well, they're my customers, so I try to remember them.

If they shop at my store I usually do remember them.

I don't usually forget either, when it's work related.

That's why I don't remember you.

The other times?

You know Kanayama's place?

- Yes, I know it. - I was making a delivery.

After I called Kanayama on the intercom,

I was waiting there at the door.

I saw him leave your building and head for the bridge.

Then I remembered.

You mean Tadashi, not me?

Yes, Mr. Oshima.

Why would he be going towards the bridge?

- He always took the train. - And the next time?

I saw you and him meet, then walk off together.

Where was this?

You know Suzutake's place just down the road?

The only time I ever went that way was to pay the rent.

Otherwise, I had no reason to pass by there.

When was this?

And what were they wearing?

Well. You know... I've never seen her dressed in kimono.

I just remember her in a cardigan.

And him, this man, was

in a polo-shirt... or a sweater.

The sleeves tucked up above the elbow.

I remember the short-sleeves.

That wasn't me.

You're sure it was Oshima?

I'm positive.

His face is hard to mistake.

Look again, please.

The other one reminds me more.

- Was there another man? - No, never.

I never had any reason to walk that way.

He says he saw you.

That's strange.

- How often did you see her? - At least three times.

Maybe even more.

Was it on Sundays?

Or weekdays?

I was working, so it wasn't a Sunday.

Very few people about.

Not many people go there in the daytime.

I was making a delivery, so it must have been daytime.

- Around noon? - From noon to two or three.

Three at latest.

And you saw her?

- Yes. - How about the man?

No mistake. My first impression of him was a strong one.

Those broad eyebrows.

They're very noticeable.

- Yours are, too. - That's why I remember him.

You're absolutely sure it was him?

No mistake. I don't remember what you wore though.

That's not so important.

I wear both kimono and western clothes.

Maybe you forgot?

No, I was never out walking with him.

It doesn't make sense.

This and that phone call business.

He has nothing to gain by lying.

That's right.

I'm not a man to make up stories or tell lies.

I have no connection with this case at all.

I'm only here to help you find him.

So I'm just telling you the truth. I've no reason to lie.

It wasn't me with Tadashi like he says.

It's a complete mystery how he could have seen us like that.

I know you all think I'm just covering up.

But it's as much a mystery to me too.

You maintain it wasn't you.

But the fishmonger says he saw you. Both can't be right.

But it wasn't me!

Someone's lying.

But it wasn't me.

But the fishmonger...

He's positive.

I'm positive, too.

How can this happen?

Look, I'm not mistaken. Okay?

Then what is the truth?

We don't know.

I just told you the truth.

The three times I remember.

It may have been more.

But I don't know. I just remember those times.

I never expected this.

Just remember I'm telling you the truth.

I've no reason to lie.

Director.

What is the truth?

I don't know, either.

That's why I want to probe for the real truth.

I don't know what truth is.

I can't tell whether

Sayo is telling the truth, or if the fishmonger is

Only I know the truth.

No, you probably don't know either.

Nobody knows the truth.

Pull the set down!

What you're trying to say,

Truth is accompanied by the realization that "this is true."

Although I also don't know the truth here,

that itself is a truth.

For instance, this is a stage set.

No ceiling or roof.

But you all talked as if it really was a cozy room.

This set took on the life of a real room.

When in actual fact this "room" is just a set in a studio.

One's feelings cannot be trusted.

This is fiction.

This drama originated from Mr. Oshima's disappearance.

This story develops along somewhat unnatural lines.

It develops as we intended.

Lights!

Itjust means...

The camera films.

You are filmed by the camera.

Other filmmakers will make other fake stories here.

But we are unable to tell

which is true and which is false.

Ours is a fictitious story, too.

We start with an "action", and a clapboard.

This is obviously a drama.

It's not a documentary.

It is a dramatization which asks

the reasons why so many people

just vanish in this tiny country of ours.

Please understand that this is pure drama, a fictitious story.

Will you tell us some real facts?

Last year, 91,000 people were officially reported as missing.

This year we expect an increase.

Today I'd like you to help us to learn the truth.

This is Mr. Asanami who works in the building Sayo lives in.

Hello, everyone.

Will you tell us what you saw at that time?

Sayo, do you know him?

Yes, sort of.

You know my sister.

How about you, Sayo?

It's been so long. - Remember his face?

I don't remember his face that well.

Tell us what you saw.

I'll be the man with her.

Round about here.

The man was in front.

They used that other door.

You were inside.

Locked? It should be open.

The door was open.

Close this one?

Will you go up?

I need one more person.

One more, please.

Not so far up.

I noticed the woman passing here.

And...

I greeted her, I said hello.

Then I asked you who the man was.

You said that he was your brother.

You know me, why did you ask me who I was?

No, I asked about the man with you.

The one who went ahead.

You asked her who was the man in front of her?

A question, right?

I was asked to remember what I saw.

I maintain that what you "saw", never happened.

You say we've never met, right?

No, we've met. What you saw didn't happen.

If I'd been with him, you'd never have asked who he was.

- No doubt. - So you did see them?

But you deny it. You say it wasn't you.

The man was Tadashi Oshima. No doubt about that?

I don't think I am mistaken.

Nothing is 100%, you know.

I just happened to see a woman who regularly visited my shop.

How old did the man look?

He was young.

But you said you had no male visitors.

He saw you and a man walking down the street.

But it wasn't me.

I have to believe him.

Yoshie, don't be so subjective!

It was two years ago. His memory of it isn't fresh.

His memory has naturally become dim, right?

I remember what really concerns me, but...

When I saw the picture, I easily recognized him.

- So you saw them walking? - Yes. I saw them here.

Can you be sure it was me?

Not definitely, no.

- That's what I wanted. - I'm losing confidence...

He saw them, but he can't definitely say it was them.

And we can say the same thing about Sayo, can't we?

Maybe she's mistaken, maybe it was her.

If it had been someone he knew well,

like his sister, a relative, or maybe an old girlfriend.

His memories would be clear, even after two years.

But he saw a man and one of his customers.

It is no wonder that his memory of it is unclear.

Were you ever with Tadashi?

Never out walking together, no.

- Maybe another young man? - No, never.

He was in a polo shirt.

No. Why would I?

I'd never mistake you for another woman.

What do you think?

I didn't expect that it would come to this.

I don't know who to believe and why this all happened.

What on earth would I be doing out with Tadashi?

Your future brother in law it's not that unusual.

I don't mind you were with him. But I want you to admit it.

I told you I didn't!

- Walking together is no problem. - Right.

It's no profit for me to lie.

Because she wasn't your girlfriend.

What do you think Mr. Odori?

That is a circular dispute.

It's quite serious, so if it is true, she should admit it.

If your memory is vague, we must re-think.

As I said before, I saw them more than once.

I remember what they were like.

The photos reinforce it.

If they were seen leaving a hotel, or something.

It would be natural for her to deny it.

But it wasn't. She can admit they were together.

Tadashi is Yoshie's betrothed, so Sayo's almost a sister in law.

No need for her to deny they were walking together.

I want to know why Sayo denies that they were.

That's what I don't understand, either.

Walking hand in hand would be a problem.

Or if they were cuddling. But they weren't!

I don't care if they were walking together.

If the fishmonger's recollection of a short man is correct,

then it's most probably true.

I've repeatedly asked that, and she's repeatedly denied it.

It wasn't me!

Then how did he see you?

I didn't come here to start telling lies.

He gains nothing by telling lies.

I can't understand why you believe him and not me.

- I believe him. - Why?

And also, I believe... Mr. Kakutaro, too.

Why don't you believe me? I just don't get it.

Why don't you believe me?

I can't believe you.

None of these people stand to gain anything.

I'm just here to report what I saw.

How can you say what's not true?

Talking to me?

Yes! How dare you say I was with Tadashi?

I've no reason to lie!

No one is here for their own profit.

If I lied, then I'd lose face.

Any sensible man, when questioned, would think carefully.

But you're so damn cocky and sure of yourself!

- Because I saw you! - It wasn't me!

Look, I've got no reason to pick a fight with you.

Then why swear you saw me?

Because I did see you.

- It wasn't me. - What the hell am I here for?

You're a witness.

This is nothing to me, but it's critical to me.

I'm not here to tell lies. I've got a shop to run!

How can you say you saw us?

If it was me, fair enough. But it's not true.

It would not be unusual...

You won't catch me telling stories!

Well, in this case you did.

She denies that it was her.

So why do you force her to admit that it was?

I'm not forcing anyone!

We must accept what he says.

Even if it is not the clearest of memories.

I was never out walking with a young man.

This is maybe not the best place to continue...

I've had quite enough!

Then let's stop here.

Well, everyone.

This film is designed to gather various objective opinions...

surrounding the fact, that a man suddenly vanished.

I never expected this to happen.

Please don't get so upset.

We must get back on focus about Tadashi's disappearance.

I'd like you all to contribute your thoughts to that.

Please remember this is fiction. None of it is fact.

In other words, you are movie-makers...

She's one woman! I never felt like this before.

I'm honest to a fault.

If I hadn't said anything this would never had happened.

Because she had something with him, she denies it.

I can only say that life is always like that.

Why do you think Tadashi disappeared so suddenly?

I don't know.

Tadashi is my brother...

but I didn't and I don't know why he disappeared.

What do you think of their stories?

About what they said?

After watching all this I don't know what the truth is.

She's always looking for the black side of things.

People lied about me. That's why I got mad.

They're saying he ran away from me. I never did anything!

As I said just now, the reason why he vanished...

is only known to himself.

- Do you believe in God? - Yes, I do.

I surely do. I do whatever God tells me to.

To be honest, I can't imagine what Tadashi was thinking.

Nobody but Tadashi knows why he vanished.

I don't think I believe in God.

But I respect God. It's a proper description how I feel about God.

Is this finished yet?

We should wind up.

It is easier to keep shop than to talk to you all.

I came here to help out. Now I'm really disgusted!

I'm not staying here.

They are sisters. So as time goes by this will mend.

I feel empty. Nothing's been gained.

I gradually realized that I suffered for nothing.

I can't believe anything.

Mr. Oka is leaving now.

Are you still suspicious of your sister?

Yes, I am.

You'll keep it up?

I'll probably end up believing her.

It's hard to distrust my sister.

I wish she weren't my sister.

Is that it? Leaving already?

Yes, it's the end.

I guess this is the end.

Yes, it is.

The film is finished, but reality is not.

Nezumi, what will you do tomorrow?

I don't know.

THE END