Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

This loosely-connected trilogy of short stories bridges romance, revenge and an unexpected reunion.

Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi demonstrates his keen sensitivity to the contradictions of human interiority across these stories. In the first chapter, a young woman discovers that her friend is falling for her ex-boyfriend. Chapter two portrays a disgruntled student’s attempt to exact vengeance on an award-winning professor, while the third story centres on a school reunion.

In the tradition of good short fiction, each of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy’s mumblecore-inspired stories has a twist in their tail. More significantly, they’re united by an affecting sense of regret, of the truth contained under layers of deception.