Come Rain, Come Shine

She is going on a business trip to Tokyo. In the car on the way to the airport she tells him that she is leaving him. He seems to accept this. No questions, no confrontation.

Some time later. A severe storm sweeps through the city. The couple are spending their last day together at the house where they have spent the last three years. Small things remind them of shared memories and the life they once led. But neither of them tries to turn back the clock and both appear to be reconciled to the situation. When the rain gets heavier, they discover a cat on the roof of their storehouse and bring it in. Frightened, it escapes and hides. Shortly afterwards the doorbell rings. It is the couple next door, looking for their cat. These unexpected guests bring awkwardness into the house but, at the same time, they somehow also rekindle some of the old feelings that have been dormant for so long. The phone rings. It’s the other guy, the one she’s leaving him for. She hesitates and tells him she’s going to spend one more night at the house; it’s because the bridge to the city is blocked due to the storm. Has she changed her mind?

The neighbours go home at last. The cat still hasn’t surfaced. They start preparing their last supper together. Peeling the onions makes him cry. He goes to the bathroom to wash his face, but he can’t stop crying. Is it really because of the onions? They have almost finished cooking when the tremulous cat appears. She soothes the cat, or maybe herself: “Everything’s going to be alright.” –Berlinale