The Girl in the Rumor: A messy family portrait

Is it worth your time?

If you like movies that feel like a slow, uncomfortable dinner with relatives you barely tolerate, you'll probably enjoy The Girl in the Rumor. It’s not for people who need constant action or tidy resolutions. If you prefer stories that leave you feeling slightly itchy by the time the credits roll, this is right up your alley.

The whole thing feels a bit trapped, honestly. The story centers on two sisters, Kunie and Kimiko, and a suitor who picks the 'wrong' one. It sounds like a soap opera on paper, but Naruse treats it with this weird, detached coolness. You watch these characters make these terrible, impulsive decisions and you just want to reach through the screen and shake them. 🙄

The small stuff matters

I couldn't help but notice the way the shops are laid out. The father and his mistress running separate businesses just down the street from each other? It’s such a bold, weird choice. It adds this layer of constant, low-level anxiety to every scene. You never know who is going to walk around the corner and start a fight.

Then there’s the reveal about Kimiko’s mother. It lands with almost no fanfare at all, which is either brilliant or totally bizarre. One minute you're thinking about the business, the next your whole world is tilted. It reminded me a bit of the way secrets just kind of sit there in Skandal um Eva—they don't need to be shouted to be destructive.

Wait, what about the police?

The business stuff gets messy fast. When the police show up because someone cut a corner, the movie stops feeling like a family drama and turns into a survival story. It’s sudden. It’s jarring. I’m still not sure if the pacing here is a mistake or a stroke of genius, but it definitely keeps you watching.

• The silence between the sisters is louder than any dialogue.
• The lighting in the shop interiors feels dusty, like you can taste the air.
• Some of the reactions from the side characters seem like they were filmed in a completely different movie.
• There’s a moment with a tea cup that I’ve been thinking about for three hours. Why was it chipped? Did it mean anything? Probably not.

It’s not perfect. Sometimes the dialogue hits a little too hard, like it's trying to explain the plot to someone who hasn't been paying attention. But then you get a look from one of the leads, and suddenly the script doesn't matter anymore. It’s just human beings being difficult.

It’s definitely more interesting than most of the stuff coming out of that era that tries to be 'prestige' cinema. It’s messy, it’s petty, and it doesn't give you a hug at the end. That’s why it works.