is a 2004 Japanese

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur Detective, sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means ...

directed by

Shinji Aoyama was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, composer, film critic, and novelist. He graduated from Rikkyo University. He won two awards at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for his film ''Eureka (2000 film), Eureka''. Biography Shinji Aoyama was b ...

, starring

Kōji Yakusho , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor. He is well known for his starring roles in ''Shall We Dance?'' (1996), ''Cure'' (1997), ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' (2005), ''13 Assassins'' (2010), '' The Third Murder'' (2017), ''The Blood of Wolve ...

Hiroko Yakushimaru is a common feminine Japanese given name. Name meanings Hiroko can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *裕子, "kind child" *弘子, "Beautiful child" *寛子, " small child" *浩子, "large child" *博子, "wise child" *� ...

and

Etsushi Toyokawa is a Japanese actor. Biography Born in Yao, Osaka, he studied at Shimizudani High School is a prestigious Japanese public co-educational senior high school (secondary school), located in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Japan. Overview Shimizudan ...

Plot

Four couples are staying at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school's entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress...

Cast

as Shunsuke Namiki *

as Minako Namiki *

as Masaru Tsukumi *

Akira Emoto is a Japanese actor. Career In 1999, he won the Japanese Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Dr. Akagi''. He also won the award for best supporting actor at the 7th Hochi Film Award for ''Dotonbori River'' and '' Hearts and Flo ...

as Tomoharu Fujima *

Fukumi Kuroda is a Japanese actress. Career Fukumi Kuroda appeared in the films such as Shohei Imamura's ''History of Postwar Japan as Told by a Bar Hostess'', Juzo Itami's ''Tampopo'', and Kiyoshi Kurosawa's ''Sweet Home''. Filmography Film * ''Tampopo'' ( ...

as Kazue Fujima *

Shingo Tsurumi is a Japanese actor. Career Shingo Tsurumi has appeared in the films such as Katsuhito Ishii's ''Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl'', Hideo Nakata's '' L: Change the World'', and Tak Sakaguchi's ''Yakuza Weapon''. Filmography Films * ''Tonda C ...

as Takashi Sekiya *

Kaoru Sugita , better known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress and singer. Biography She attended Myōjō Academy in Mitaka, later transferring to and graduating from NHK Gakuen (NHK Academy). At age 7, she made her debut in the NTV television series ...

as Yasuko Sekiya * Yuko Mano as Eriko Takashina

Production

In an interview with ''Midnight Eye'', the director Shinji Aoyama said, "I wanted to talk about whether parents really understand their kids and vice-versa. That's really the most basic thing the film is about." In an interview with ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'', he stated that it was a story about ordinary people, saying "At first they don't understand anything -- then they find out little by little. There's no professional detective. Everyone is an amateur. It's an all-amateur mystery."

Reception

Mark Shilling of ''

'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5. He felt that the film was "less a commercial whodunit with a gorgeous corpse than a dark, multilayered psycho-drama, whose subjects include the ills of the Japanese educational system and the moral limits of parental love." However, he also noted that it was "more mainstream" than Shinji Aoyama's other films. He concluded by saying, "the film does pose a timely question. In a winner-take-all society, how can one compete successfully and stay human? The answer may be staring us in the face, albeit from the bottom of a lake." Russell Edwards of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' said, " ojiYakusho delivers yet another credible performance. Other thesps are solid and tech credits are excellent."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lakeside Murder Case 2004 films Films based on works by Keigo Higashino Films directed by Shinji Aoyama Japanese mystery films Japanese crime films Japanese horror films Japanese thriller films 2000s Japanese films