Overview
A poignant exploration of love and loss across time and identity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- wistful
- intimate
- unsettled
- quiet evening
- reflective movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Ryusuke Hamaguchi's confident direction and thought-provoking treatment of romantic identity, while finding some plot turns forced.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Masahiro Higashide plays both Baku and Ryohei, while Asako must confront their radically different personalities despite their identical appearance.
Asako's attachment to Ryohei is continually shaped by her unresolved feelings for the vanished Baku.
The film follows Asako through recognizable Osaka and Tokyo apartments, workplaces, streets, and social gatherings with understated attention.
The relationship arc preserves ambiguity about desire, memory, and the possibility of a tidy happy ending.
Films like Asako I & II, and why
The Double Life of Véronique
emotionally ambiguous romance, identity displacement, and restrained arthouse storytelling
Vertigo
uncanny romantic resemblance, melancholic atmosphere, and psychologically layered relationships
Right Now, Wrong Then
quietly observed contemporary romance with open-ended emotional resolution
Happy Hour
Japanese relationship drama combining everyday realism with destabilizing romantic premises
Movie Details
- Director
- Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- Release Date
- 2018-09-01
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (209)
Cast
- Masahiro Higashide
- Erika Karata
- Koji Seto
- Rio Yamashita
- Sairi Ito
- Daichi Watanabe
- Kōji Nakamoto
- Misako Tanaka
- Erika Osanai
- Takeshi Onishi
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Fandor, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, AsianCrush, Cineverse Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Asako I & II about?
- A young woman in Osaka and Tokyo must distinguish genuine love from the uncanny shadow of a vanished lover who has an identical face.
- What is Asako I & II like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Asako I & II as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Asako I & II violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Asako I & II as mild.
- What did critics think of Asako I & II?
- Critics broadly praised Ryusuke Hamaguchi's confident direction and thought-provoking treatment of romantic identity, while finding some plot turns forced.
- Which films are like Asako I & II?
- Films with a similar feel include The Double Life of Véronique, Vertigo, Right Now, Wrong Then, and Happy Hour.
- How long is Asako I & II?
- Asako I & II runs 120 minutes.
- Where can I watch Asako I & II?
- In United States, Asako I & II streams on Philo, Fandor, MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandor Amazon Channel, AsianCrush, Cineverse Amazon Channel.
