"What does a woman want?" Sigmund Freud famously asked — and failed to answer. Since then, women worldwide, have replied by winning the right to choose their own spouses, careers and, with their votes, politicians. Yet, for the protagonist of Yukiko Mishima's frustratingly retro drama, "Shape of Red," the question still remains.
Married to a handsome, elite businessman (Shotaro Mamiya), Toko (Kaho; given name Kaho Indo) is a full-time housewife and the mother of a cute young girl. She has it all, except happiness.
Based on "Red," Rio Shimamoto's novel, "Shape of Red" does not belong to the now thriving subgenre of Japanese films about women who leave their ruts and find their grooves. Instead, Toko is a throwback to the self-sacrificing and love-starved female characters of an earlier cinematic time, destined for romantic doom.