Ryosuke Hashiguchi is one of the few gay filmmakers in Japan to have had a measure of popular success making films with gay themes. His third film, "Hush" (2002), about a gay couple whose life changes when one of them is drafted into becoming a father by a desperate woman, was an indie hit, as well as a festival-circuit favorite.
He is, however, not the most prolific of directors — he has made only four features since debuting in 1992 with "Hatachi no Binetsu (A Slight Touch of Fever)," a minimalist drama about gay hustlers that screened at the Berlin Film Festival.
His fourth, "Gururi no Koto (All Around Us)," not only arrives after a six-year gap, but its main characters are a straight couple with no gay family members, friends or associates in sight.