Japanese biopics of the famous are usually hagiographies, treating their subjects with outsized reverence. This is not the case, however, with Ryuichi Hiroki’s “2 Women,” which fictionalizes the real-life affair of two flawed yet fascinating writers: Jakucho Setouchi (nee Harumi Mitani) and Mitsuharu Inoue.
Setouchi, who died last year at age 99, was a celebrated novelist, activist and, in the second half of her long life, a Buddhist nun. Inoue, who passed in 1992, was the subject of Kazuo Hara’s 1994 documentary, “A Dedicated Life,” which revealed him as a liar and philanderer but also an oddly charismatic figure.
“2 Women,” however, is based on a novel by Inoue’s eldest daughter, Areno, in which Setouchi becomes Miharu Osanai (Shinobu Terajima) and Inoue becomes Atsuro Shiraki (Etsushi Toyokawa). The film faithfully reflects the personalities of its models, though, with Setouchi/Miharu being by design the more relatable of the pair.