This film contrasts solitude with desire.
The solitude is beautifully captured in pictures of a nondescript provincial area of northern Japan, including a house for sale that becomes the set piece for most of the film.
The desire is first told by the story, then shown[1], then worked towards the conclusion.
The story works well, but has some incongruities (it is least believable when seen from the woman's point of view, but on the other hand, this criticism can be leveled against roughly 90% of all films).
The casting made a lot of sense, the acting is good, but not perfect.
I enjoyed the film and still like it the day after.
[1] by not overly explicit sex
