To the Ends of the Earth is a young woman’s journey from displacement to a place of self-discovery.

Kurosawa Kiyoshi, the prolific auteur behind such modern Japanese masterpieces as Cure and Tokyo Sonata, takes his enduring fascination with psychological dread into a new realm with this enormously satisfying drama shot on location in Uzbekistan.

Exploring the idea of culture clash as a state of mind, To the Ends of the Earth gets inside the head of Yoko (former J-pop idol Maeda Atsuko), a TV reporter touring the central Asian country with a crew from Tokyo. As they move from region to region, shooting frivolous lifestyles and sightseeing segments for a travel show, cracks in Yoko’s forced on-camera delivery, and in the frustrated crew’s morale, begin to appear. Yoko’s alienation, compounded by the language barrier (Uzbek dialogue is intentionally not subtitled for effect) as well as the oppressive stares of locals, is expertly crafted in scenes that pinpoint the unease of existing in a totally unfamiliar place, but with an added complexity that Yoko’s anxiety might be projected, and not necessarily the result of being an unwanted woman and foreigner in a strange land. Frustrated by the bungled segments, she takes to the streets of this mysterious country on her own, finding herself adrift and alone, confronting her deepest fears and hidden aspirations.

Building to a series of bold emotional flourishes in its third act, To the Ends of the Earth earns both its tension and humor in surprising yet profoundly relatable ways. A brilliant mix of black comedy and travelogue, this outstanding film becomes a chronicle of young woman’s journey from displacement to a place of self-discovery.

Screened in Japanese and Uzbek with English subtitles.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa  |  Japan/Uzbekistan/Qatar  |  2019  |  120 mins.