An average guy, I once read, could have a reasonably happy married life with any one of the thousands of single women out there on the streets of Tokyo. This, of course, is the opposite of the Platonic ideal embraced by Carrie, the heroine of the American series "Sex and the City," who, through dozens of dates and boyfriends, is relentless in her pursuit of The One.
The befuddled hero of Yuki Iwata's quirky romantic comedy "Yubiwa wo Hametai (Looking For a True Fiancee)" shares Carrie's quest, but discovers, to his horror, that three women, all seeming strangers, are vying for the honor of being his bride.
Based on an Akutagawa Prize-winning novel by Takami Ito, the film begins as a dryly funny flight of fancy but takes a dreamily serious, poignant turn as the hero gains in knowledge, but can't give up his ideal of the perfect woman he thinks — or imagines? — he once knew.