In his second film, Yujiro Harumoto crafts a gripping morality tale about the power of the press and public opinion, and the shifting sands of perception. TV director Yuko (Kumi Takiuchi, in a masterful central performance) is shooting a documentary about a teacher and a young female student who both committed suicide after accusations of an affair—what a colleague calls a “regular piece about bullying.” Determined to avoid the usual sensationalist coverage and deliver a balanced report, Yuko suddenly finds herself enmeshed in another sexual-abuse scandal that hits far closer to home—one that will force her own reckoning with the truth. Harumoto stretches scenes to the breaking point, his camera often lingering too long for comfort, contributing to a general aesthetics of unease that is one of the film’s greatest achievements.