The Long Excuse tells the story of a husband left alone by his wife’s sudden death after 20 years of marriage. Sachio is a writer living a celebrity life occasionally aired on TV. In spite of what is publicly shown, he suffers from self-loathing, and doesn’t even like his own name. While his wife takes a weekend trip with her old friend, he is having an affair with a young woman in the marital bed. After his wife and her friend die in an accident, he plays the perfect, grieving husband at the funeral, where he runs into Omiya, the husband of his wife’s friend. Although both of them are in the same situation as new widowers, Sachio tries to keep his distance from Omiya at first. However, he volunteers to support Omiya’s family. Nishikawa Miwa excels in constructing characters by details of cinematic elements like small acts. The interaction between two men with contrasting personalities serves as great energizer to lead the story. That energy drives the audience to follow the story of the protagonist whom we don’t want to sympathize with but feel like we’ve known. (PARK Sungho)