AllMovie

In this intricately layered Japanese film, the nature of actresses and what they gain from acting is explored. The lives of three actresses are laid bare, and scenes from their lives are woven in and out of interviews with each of them. Each of them has experienced a traumatic event which contributes to their particular enjoyment of becoming someone else in dramatic roles. One was raped by a schoolteacher, another was sexually abused as a child by her step-father, and the third experienced the hysterical paralysis of her vocal chords due to some unknown cause.