Among the Japanese films invited to the 15th PIFF, there are a number of directors’ works that have a special relationship with PIFF. In particular, Junji Sakamoto has introduced most of his works at PIFF (Orokamono (1998), Another Battle (2000), My House (2002) and Chameleon (2008)) and is also considered one of the key representatives of the Japanese independent film scene. He is famous for portraying a masculine world in his films, but [Strangers in the City] is quietly different from his previous work because the film is a love story with a touch of mystery. A teacher, resigned from his post due to a scandal with a female student, is working at a cram school in his hometown. When a student disappears, he eventually returns to Tokyo to find the girl only to uncover a link between the missing girl and the school he used to teach at. With a dazzling performance by Nakamura Toru (2009 Lost Memories) the film renders a love story with the Junji Sakamoto signature. (Shion YANG)