Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

"Some parts work better than others. But even when the quality dips slightly, we remain consistently intrigued."

"Sometimes, Hamaguchi’s approach can be more conceptually daring than dramatically convincing."

"A wistful, moving, outwardly unassuming movie."

"An alternately scathing, erotic, terrifying, and affirming fable of the primordial power of storytelling."

"Playful, beguiling and quietly affecting..."

"Quaintly quirky—and (the stories are) never dull to watch unfold."

"Each story contains perfectly pitched performances..."

"Hamaguchi is back with another magnetic piece of slow cinema to show why he’s a superstar in the making..."

"Definitely peak Hamaguchi, and it makes this a must-see."

"Disarmingly powerful..."

"Follows a reasonably conventional three-act structure and emphasizes interesting female characters in a compelling situation..."

"Allows Hamaguchi to return to themes he has explored in previous work..."

"Full of understated, melancholy poetry."

"Elegant and amusing, with a delicacy of touch and real imaginative warmth."

"Rooted to its two-actors-in-a-room reality, but also charming and characteristically unpredictable for the ways it wiggles free of it like a loose tooth."