Just before he dies, a silkscreen artist from Kohoan Temple in Kyoto, hands over beautiful Satoko to Jikai, a somewhat lecherous priest, head of Kikuchi Temple. Jinen, an apprentice monk mistreated by Jikai, silently observes the situation.

With this adaptation of Tsutomu Minakami's novel, Kawashima gradually weaves the web of a suffocating triangular drama. Shot in sumptuous black and white, privileging shadows and chiaroscuro, each protagonist is under the grip of a dominant figure or of their own desires. Along with the use of stirring ellipses, the choppy editing renders the atmosphere heavy and dark.The perfection of the framing in service of psychological journeys full of hesitations and questionings makes the feeling of ineluctability even more palpable.