Desert of Namibia

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Desert of Namibia

May 2025

2h 17m

Drama

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Popcornmeter

92%

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12 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

DESERT OF NAMIBIA follows mercurial 21-year-old Kana (Yuumi Kawai), a hair-removal technician at a salon in Tokyo, who bristles against the beauty expectations placed on women her age. Her erratic mood and default to self-destruct impacts all of her relationships, as moments of levity erupt into violence and optimism simmers to despair. The award-winning Kawai embodies Kana with an emotional intensity and clear-eyed precision that evokes Gena Rowlands in Cassavettes' A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE. Yamanaka's sophomore work sculpts a subtle intimacy reminiscent of Pialat's À NOS AMOURS, and masterfully conveys the chaos and disarray of a young woman at odds with the world as much as with herself.

Monica Castillo

RogerEbert.com

Yamanaka finds a balance for her complicated character to navigate her tantrums and tender moments.

Rated: 3/4

May 16, 2025

Full Review

Nicolas Rapold

New York Times

What clinches the portrait is the sure-handed direction and Kana’s organic performance of a daunting character.

May 15, 2025

Full Review

William Repass

Slant Magazine

The film is so welded to its main character’s perspective that it, too, shies away from understanding, tragic and frustrating in equal measure.

Rated: 2.5/4

May 11, 2025

Full Review

James Marsh

South China Morning Post

Desert of Namibia serves up a potent cocktail of adolescent malaise and assertive femininity, and proves an eye-catching breakthrough for 28-year-old writer-director Yoko Yamanaka.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 17, 2025

Full Review

Derek Chen

Spectrum Culture

The film’s story is effectively anti-narrative, as it meanders along with the listlessness that its protagonist embodies by dedicating the vast majority of the runtime to scenes of inane boredom, interrupted only by abusive tantrums.

May 22, 2025

Full Review

Dustin Chang

ScreenAnarchy

The dissociation is a dominant feature in the film. With handheld camera work and long takes in tiny spaces, Yamanaka expertly captures the intimacy and suffocation that Kana feels.

Mar 30, 2025

Full Review

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Yoko Yamanaka

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Yumi Kawai

Kana

Keisuke Horibe

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Synopsis

DESERT OF NAMIBIA follows mercurial 21-year-old Kana (Yuumi Kawai), a hair-removal technician at a salon in Tokyo, who bristles against the beauty expectations placed on women her age. Her erratic mood and default to self-destruct impacts all of her relationships, as moments of levity erupt into violence and optimism simmers to despair. The award-winning Kawai embodies Kana with an emotional intensity and clear-eyed precision that evokes Gena Rowlands in Cassavettes' A WOMAN UNDER THE INFLUENCE. Yamanaka's sophomore work sculpts a subtle intimacy reminiscent of Pialat's À NOS AMOURS, and masterfully conveys the chaos and disarray of a young woman at odds with the world as much as with herself.

Director: Yoko Yamanaka
Producer: Keisuke Konishi, Shinji Ogawa, Masashi Yamada, Tokuji Suzuki
Screenwriter: Yoko Yamanaka
Distributor: Kani Releasing
Production Co: Bridgehead, Cogito Works
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): May 16, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 2h 17m