Shadow of Fire

The setting is a black market that is beginning to recover from the ruins after World War II. In a Japanese pub diner nearly burnt to the ground, a woman makes a living by selling her body. Her family all lost their lives in the war. A war orphan sneaks into the woman’s house to steal things, and a young demobilised soldier comes as a guest. The three begin a strange life together. However, it is short-lived, as the demobilised soldier’s memories of the war destroy the lives of the three. The orphan, who says a black-market street vendor has offered him a job, sets off on a journey with the vendor, ignoring the woman who tries to stop him. The street vendor is a bold man, but the purpose of his journey is the horrifying one of putting an end to the wounds he has received in the war. (Venice International Film Festival)