Nostalgia for the nation's "glory days" can literally kill you. One who's caught in the haze of its unreality can no longer keep track of time, or where one is situated -- that's what Naruse seems to be saying with his editing, which refuses any establishing shots or other means of orienting audiences within the flashbacks or time skips. It creates a rather pitiless viewing experience -- you're on our own, and good luck!

It's no wonder that the romance…

How, in the year 2024, is an “art-house” vampire movie this heteronormative? How, for that matter, did last year’s Renfield, also starring Nicholas Hoult as a vampire’s familiar, play more with the gay BDSM undertones? That was a Netflix family feature, mind you. Even if the aesthetic qualities of this movie were immaculate (it is not -- more on that later), its whole overarching concept is as giant a coward’s cop-out as you can get for a vampire flick that…