AllMovie

Director Yusuke Kaida eschews the high-definition sensibilities so predominant in modern filmmaking to shoot this haunting tale of supernatural longing on 8mm film. Based on an actual event and set in 1980s-era Tokyo, Shadow of Sand centers on the strange events surrounding a young woman named Yuki Yusuke (Noriko Eguchi), who continues to live with the spirit of her lover (Yonemura Ryotarou) long after she murdered him (Yonemura Ryotarou). Yuki's mate may be gone, but he continues to appear before her as real and vivid as when he was once alive. Despite his unsettling presence, however, the haunted woman continues to go about her daily business as if everything is completely normal - doing everything in her power to fly beneath the radar. In time, the supernatural cohabitation becomes a simple fact of life for the troubled Yuki. But this strange domestic arrangement can't last forever, and when Yuki takes a new lover her life quickly begins to unravel.