The political is personal in Kenji Yamauchi’s “A Unique Country in Asia,” constantly intruding on the most intimate moments.
During the film’s opening scene, protagonist Yoko (Ami Chong), a stay-at-home wife and clandestine sex worker, gets so distracted talking about the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that she forgets to finish servicing a client. This being a film that’s acutely sensitive to social graces, the john is far too polite to kick up a fuss.
Abe seems to be a constant topic of discussion for Yoko and she doesn’t lack for conversation partners. Her days are spent tending to a succession of smartly dressed gents, not all of whom share her distaste for the late politician — as divisive a figure in death as he was in life. A young man gets struck off her client list after outing himself as an active Liberal Democratic Party supporter; Kimura (Kenji Iwaya), an older regular who professes to be a fellow hater, gets treated to special favors.
