Desert of Namibia

Desert of Namibia (ナミビアの砂漠, 2024) is a Japanese drama from director Yoko Yamanaka, available to watch online on iFILM. Yumi Kawai leads.

A young Tokyo beautician drifts through her days on autopilot — work, her phone screen, two men she juggles without much feeling for either. Her irritability, her boredom, her sudden outbursts add up to a portrait of a generation with everything within reach and nothing it truly wants. The camera sits with her at length, neither explaining nor excusing a thing.

It played the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes in 2024, and it's a slow, prickly watch built around a lead who is hard to like. Not the pick for a cozy night in. Stream Desert of Namibia online on iFILM.