Scarlet (Hateshinaki Sukaretto)

‘Scarlet, the sword-wielding princess from the Middle Ages, is obsessed with the idea of avenging her father’s death (…). After her first attempt fails, she unexpectedly finds herself in a strange world between life and death. There she meets an idealistic young paramedic from our own time, who shows her the possibility of a future free from bitterness and anger. When she is once again confronted by her father’s murderer, Scarlet faces her most difficult battle: can she break the cycle of hatred and find a meaning to life beyond revenge?” (La Biennale di Venezia, Sep 2025)

‘The message – forgiveness rather than revenge – is crystal clear, and it’s also beautifully naïve; it wouldn’t need the afterlife for that (…). The film isn’t for those who obsess over context anyway. But anyone who fancies letting the flood of astonishing images turn their head and heart on its end – with landscape tableaux and visions of the afterlife, with combat and even a dance interlude thrown in – will be right at home here.» (Ekkehard Knörer, Taz, July 2026)