"Susumu Hani's second feature film is an episodic portrait of a young woman, Asakura Junko, who leaves an unhappy marriage to resume her acting career. Similar to Varda's Le Bonheur in its exploration of what constitutes happiness, it differs in that for Hani, a full life is not only personal, but political. The theater group Junko joins considers an understanding of current events as crucial to good acting. It regularly meets to study and participate in demonstrations against the U.S./Japan Security Pact. Junko's search for personal freedom thus takes place amidst a fight for national self-determination. Hani's roots in poetic documentary filmmaking (see July 11 and 20) are evident in his depiction of urban life as well as in his concern with finding means to visualize inner consciousness. The city becomes an important character, alternately bleak, hopeful and desolate, reflecting the state of the protests, as well as Junko's state of mind. For Hani, Junko is a product of modern times and urban conditions; her changing values are an echo of the changes in traditional Japanese society as it undergoes westernization." Kathy Geritz