In Hirose Nanako’s provocative follow-up to her acclaimed debut His Lost Name (2018) and documentary Book-Paper-Scissors (2019), picture book author Uta (Nagasawa Masami) leads a delicate double life, comfortably navigating parallel relationships with her husband, Morio (Emoto Tasuku), and her editor and lover, Junna (Ishibashi Shizuka). Guided by an uncompromising free spirit and a desire for an unburdened life, Uta faces a sudden dilemma when both partners want a child. In response, she proposes a radical alternative: a domestic life shared by all three. What begins as an outrageously selfish solution gradually evolves into an unexpected, shifting dynamic among three people forced to renegotiate the boundaries of family, intimacy, and compromise. Anchored by commanding performances from a stellar lead cast and elevated by refined visual composition, Between Two Lovers approaches the topical territory of non-traditional cohabitation with polished production and unflinching realism. Hirose refuses to smooth over her characters’ sharpest edges, leaning boldly into their flawed, uncomfortable self-preservation rather than offering clean answers. The result is a candid, deeply contemporary portrait of modern relationships—one that challenges audience sympathies while asking what it truly takes to live alongside the ones we love. (Karen PARK)