The Man Who Was There

A woman named Saki is discovered covered in blood and sat next to the body of an actor in the elevator hall of a condominium. She smokes a cigarette and seems stunned. The film takes audiences back two years in the past, a time when Saki, a staff member on a film, met the actor, Sho, on set and fell in love. He used her badly and had another woman on the side and so Saki reveals how strong her love is and the event occurs that night we first meet her. A short film directed by Shinzo Katayama, whose debut feature film Siblings of the Cape attracted and was screened in different countries. He also has a credit as an AD on Bong Joon-Ho’s mystery-thriller film Mother and Nobuhiro Yamatshita’s The Drudgery Train. The script is by Yukiko Sode who is responsible for Good Stripes and Aristocrats.

Directed by Shinzo Katayama, The Man Who Was There leans on a strong ensemble — Yaeko Kiyose, Hidekazu Yasui, Yuya Matsuura — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2020.