First Love (2006)

Also Known As: 初恋 はつこい Hatsukoi

In the chaotic days of the 1960s, Misuzu, a lonely high school girl from a troubled family, finds sanctuary with her nihilistic brother, Ryo, and his friends. They pass their days hanging around a shadowy jazz cafe bar, indulging themselves in a life of sex, drugs, and alcohol. Social unrest simmers, while their relationships gradually falter. Misuzu gets drawn into a dangerous plot against the society that was hatched by one of the rebellious youths, Kishi; they will rob a bank car of 300 million yen! The two accomplices set out for numerous rehearsals, while in their hearts they secretly and quietly become even closer. Then one rainy day, aided by coincidence, they pull off their heist successfully, which has a huge impact throughout Japan. However, it brings Misuzu only a great sense of loss and sadness, which she had never anticipated...

The 300 Million Yen Affair is one of the most well-known real-life unsolved crimes in Japan. The incident took place on the rainy morning of December 10, 1968, when a car that carried 300 million Yen was hijacked by a criminal wearing a fake policeman's outfit. Even though more than 100 pieces of evidence were left behind by the criminals, with 170,000 policemen against 110,000 suspects spending almost a billion yen in the investigation, nobody was arrested and the stolen money was never found. The investigation was officially closed for prescription in 1975.

Genre: Based on True Story, Crime, Drama, Romance

Director: Hanawa Yukinari [塙幸成]

Country: Japanese

Status: Completed

Release: 2006