Lee follows through on the promise of Blue Chong with these interlocking narratives that unveil a Japan on the brink not so much of violence or anarchy, but of emotional collapse. A disheveled taxi driver hauls a sullen, on-the-run teenage boy halfway across the country; a housewife, already coping with her ineffectual husband's unemployment, helps her son overcome bullies, and a gangster looks to collect a debt while his estranged daughter turns to prostitution. Three narratives, six people, and an increasing sense of isolation, of families breaking down-yet Lee guides each storyline with a level-headed approach astonishing for one so young, refusing to embrace simple pessimism or irony. The all-star cast waived their usual fees to work with this second-time filmmaker, a gesture that Lee repays with the assured, confident tone of a veteran.