The Shortest Distance Is Round

"Noir or Blanc? Two versions. Two completely different fates."

2019 1h 10m JA

😐

5.4

MID

★5.4TMDB · 13

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Haruto is a freshman and a loner high school student until the arrival of the new teacher Aoyama. Aoyama cares for Haruto and starts to exchange letters with him, as something more grows inside both of them. But one night, an unexpected kiss ends their beautiful relationship. Three years later, Haruto has become a male prostitute in order to pay back his debts, when he reunites with Aoyama by chance. How will Haruto face his feelings for Aoyama when given a second chance? Should it be 'noir' or should it be 'blanc'? Two versions. Two completely different fates. (The two versions differ in the last 15 minutes)

“Noir or Blanc? Two versions. Two completely different fates.”

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Cast

Riku Mukai
Haruto
Ryohei Shioguchi
Aoyama
Hattori Muo
Seiya
Hasegawa Hiroto
Ryoma
Taishi Takemoto
Yazaki
Omino Jinya
Okamura
Yuki Shin
Wakabayashi
Masamitsu Kani

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Daisuke Yamanouchi
Writers: Daisuke Yamanouchi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 7 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "The Shortest Distance is Round Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Daisuke Yamanouchi, shot by Takehiko Tamiya. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Daisuke Yamanouchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Riku Mukai and Ryohei Shioguchi and Hattori Muo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Noir or Blanc? Two versions. Two completely different fates.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Daisuke Yamanouchi directs. Takehiko Tamiya behind the camera. Daisuke Yamanouchi cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 7 years ago.
3Part of the "The Shortest Distance is Round Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Daisuke Yamanouchi, shot by Takehiko Tamiya. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Daisuke Yamanouchi shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Riku Mukai and Ryohei Shioguchi and Hattori Muo carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Noir or Blanc? Two versions. Two completely different fates.".
9IMDB entry: tt10360592 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 13 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 12 themes, including "jealousy", "insanity", "blackmail", "yakuza".

The technical file

Cinematography: Takehiko Tamiya
Editing: Daisuke Yamanouchi
Runtime: 70 min · 1h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: The Shortest Distance Is Round (2019)

Part of

The Shortest Distance is Round Collection

The complete 'The Shortest Distance is Round' collection! A tale that goes swiftly from an innocent school romance into a dark sadomasochistic sex fantasy, which then violently descends into an underground club.

Also by

Daisuke Yamanouchi

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Community reviews

What people are saying

kinrich302026-08-30
★ 3/10
The Shortest Distance is Round, is actually the first movie in a trilogy. It's about two guys who both make bad choices in life and pay a horrible price for it. While it doesn't really have a happy ending, it has more of "this is the best of what we have left" kind of ending.

Production companies