Japan Premiere

Love is all a matter of timing. It’s also a matter of understanding. These are ideas that Japanese filmmaker Makoto and his translator Jamie circle around as they escape relationship problems while at a film festival in Bacolod, the Philippines.
Makoto intends to save his family but is haunted by an affair his wife had two years prior to his meeting with Jamie, a young woman who has just called off her engagement with a man who she feels never truly understood her. These two people who feel misunderstood hang out while working on subtitling Makoto’s film and find solace in street food, discussing language, and each other. As they talk, they grow closer. However, it’s no good meeting the right person too soon or too late and their time at the festival is brief.
Hyphen is a cineastes dream as this reference-laden work joins together the looks and love of language from filmmakers ranging from Hong Sang-soo to Richard Linklater and Wong Kar-wai in an absorbing and beautiful experience. [Jason MAHER]