Dir. Ryusuke Hamaguchi. 2015, 317 mins. Digital projection. In Japanese with English subtitles. Clocking in at just over five hours, this gently ambling but sharply written and performed comedy, which follows a group of thirty-something female friends in the seaside Japanese city of Kobe, is one of the year’s great cinematic discoveries. As it unfolds, it is clear that the running time allows scenes to evolve with authenticity and depth; one section, a book-reading and dinner with a young author unfolds over an hour in virtual real time, immersing the viewer in a scene that is both recognizably awkward and deeply touching. After its U.S. premiere at New Directors/New Films, it played for a week at The Museum of Modern Art; here is a rare chance to experience a unique epic that is at once unassuming and revelatory, a film to live in.

Tickets: $15 (free for members at the Film Lover level and MoMI Kids Premium levels and above). Order tickets online. (Members may contact members@movingimage.us with questions regarding online reservations.)

Ticket purchase includes same-day Museum admission (see gallery hours). View the Museum’s ticketing policy here. For more information on membership and to join online, visit our membership page.