After getting into debt with Yakuza loan sharks following the collapse of his company, Muraki (Minori Terada), descides to commit suicide. He takes hostage a prostitute (Noriko Hayami) at a love hotel, threatening to kill her before ending his own life. However, he fails to go through with his plan and flees the scene, leaving the young woman unconscious through shock. Two years later the pair unexpectedly meet again. Muraki is now working as a taxi driver while Nami (the young woman) has a job in wardrobe for a film production. The two confront their pasts and attempt to come to terms with what happened and the effect it had on their lives.
Directed by Shinji Somai with a script by Takashi Ishii, “Love Hotel” is the story of an unusual relationship between two characters whom fate has thrown together and how they reflect each other. While Muraki slumps into regret, Nami has moved on to a better life (in the wardrobe department of film productions) but is still unable to fully escape her past. We see Nami engaging in an affair with the director of her current job and when Muraki first encounters her she is threatening to commit suicide herself. These two lost souls come to an unconventional understanding of one another, each helping the other to appreciate their situation. Somai’s creative direction, with long takes and handheld camera-work bring us right into the heart of the action and both Terada and Hayami give exceptional performances, raw in their emotions and with a depth of feeling to the characters of Muraki and Nami. The shocking sequence early on involving an attempted murder-suicide grabs the audience’s attention, with the subsequent unravelling of the pair’s personal psychology proving no less fascinating.
An erotic thriller following the unconventional relationship between a man and woman who are both done with life, “Love Hotel” features fantastic direciton and incredible performances. The film’s central premise may be uncomfortable to some, tackling the darker side of human relationships and examining the issues of male-female violence, infidelity, and suicidal tendencies. Although it has a tragic ending, the film is shot through with moments of hope and a glimpse of the capacity for perserverence in even the most traumatic moments.
