Set in 1940 in Kobe, Japan, with an epilogue during the bombing of the city in 1945, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s intriguingly titled Wife of a Spy (Spy no Tsuma) bookends the Second World War in an absorbing, exotic, well-paced thriller with moments of disconcerting realism and horror.
Its spot in Venice competition is a well-earned promotion for the director after his many accolades for films like Kairo, Tokyo Sonata and Before We Vanish.
As Kurosawa’s first historical picture, Wife of a Spy will win no awards for imaginative period creation — in fact the sets, costumes and lighting sport the distanced look of an old movie into which new characters have been inserted.
Read more on hollywoodreporter.com