The debut feature from Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy), one of today’s preeminent auteurs, examines a series of intersecting love triangles as only he can, plunging headlong into the exposed-nerve confessions and unrequited attachments among a group of thirtysomethings. It begins when a couple, Kaho (Aoba Kawai) and Tomoya (Ryuta Okamoto), announce their engagement to their friends over dinner, where it’s also revealed the groom had an affair years earlier. While the two spend the evening apart, Tomoya follows his friends to the apartment of his former classmate (Fusako Urabe, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy), with whom he’s in love, and are led into ever more vulnerable and shocking exchanges of emotional honesty. Though it was made as his student thesis project at Tokyo University of the Arts, Passion displays Hamaguchi’s rich and nuanced insight into modern relationships while establishing the thematic foundations for his later films such as Happy Hour, Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, and Drive My Car.

For thoughts on Passion, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/Kzb-KRvQnOg?si=RZnndEYHt3hel9U8&t=3623]

Video Quality

Passion comes to Blu-Ray with a new AVC encoded 1080p transfer in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio from a digital master of unknown origin. There is not much information to be found online about how this film was shot, but it appears to be captured with a consumer-grade digital camera from the era. Given this was a graduate school project, we can forgive some of the technical limitations of the source. The transfer has a bit of a soft, intimate appearance which feels somewhat artificial yet in line with the source. There is a decent amount of detail present in elements such as the production design and clothing. Thankfully we did not spot much in the way of blemishes or any sort of digital artifacts.

The color palette is not pushed to remarkable heights, but it captures the relatively nondescript spaces well enough. The few hues that make an impression are decently saturated. Black levels hold up fine with little in the way of crushing, and digital noise does not present as a major issue here. The picture loses a slight amount of crispness in long shots and shadowy moments, but this barely registers as an issue. Hamaguchi more than likely did not think this would have much of a life when he was making this for school, but the budget-conscious quality of the production does not lessen the narrative impact of the feature. Film Movement Classics has presented this as faithfully as you would hope.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a decent enough LPCM 2.0 Master Audio track in the original Japanese with optional English subtitles. The dialogue is the focus of this low-key chatterfest, and it always holds up well without getting overshadowed by competing sounds. Environmental noises and sound effects are rendered clearly alongside everything else. Music is not the most prominent aspect of this track, but what is here sounds great throughout with top-notch fidelity. There are not any significant instances of age-related wear and tear. Film Movement Classics has done a good job with the audio portion of the disc.

Special Features

Introduction by Ryusuke Hamaguchi: A three-minute introduction from the director who discusses that this film was a grad school project, how he learned to appreciate what actors were capable of during this shoot, how it impacted his career, and more.

From Passion to Fortune: A 10-minute visual essay by film and theatre writer Kenji Fujishima who discusses how this film acts as the debut film from Hamaguchi, how the director weaves in some of his notable stylistic choices, the thematic connections to Wheel Of Fortune and Fantasy, and much more that makes this a rewarding listen.

Trailers: The two-minute trailer for Passion is presented here. There are also trailers provided for Warm Water Under A Red Bridge and Wheel Of Fortune and Fantasy.

Final Thoughts

Passion is a slight film from director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, but it showcases the immense promise of the filmmaker we have seen blossom in the interim. This effort is captured as modestly as you can imagine, but that never impedes the emotional layers of the experience. It is really fun to see many of the performers who would end up in some of his future films collaborating with him from the beginning. There are some technical and narrative shortcomings that you expect from a young filmmaker, but Hamaguchi started on a very firm footing with this one. Film Movement Classics has released a Blu-Ray that features a good A/V presentation and a couple of cool special features. If you are a fan of the director, you should check out where he started. Recommended

Passion will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital on October 17, 2023.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Movement Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.