The Wart

A man becomes obsessed with delusions due to his obsession with a woman he lost, and loses sight of reality. A girl he meets in a rundown entertainment district gently accepts the man's delusions. The only time the two, who seek each other as if to erase the boundary between self and other, feel reality is when they indulge in a dangerous game involving a time bomb... The audiovisual effects, calculated down to the smallest detail, such as the rain and humidity, the deliberate use of red in the color scheme, and the pop song the woman hums, contribute to the continuation of the conceptual story.

Directed by Shinji Imaoka, The Wart leans on a strong ensemble — Yohta Kawase, Yumika Hayashi, Kazuhiro Sano — 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 screen titles of 1996.