The basic idea of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy, the latest feature from Japanese writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Happy Hour and Asako I & II) and winner of the 2021 Berlinale Silver Bear, is “what if an implausible coincidence happens?” We pay a lot of attention to coincidences, but if you really think about it, isn’t that what life is—a series of coincidences? The friends and lovers you meet, everything that influences your taste in music, food, careers, the series of events that make up your very existence, are all happenstance. The “what if” of it all, the wondering how things would be if certain events played out differently, is something we all have experienced. It’s what gives the film the “fantasy” in its title. And in this film, coincidences and fantasies impact its characters in ways they never would’ve expected.

Kazuaki Kubota (Ayumu Nakajima), Tsugumi Konno (Hyunri), and Meiko (Kotone Furukawa) in “Magic (or Something Less Assuring)”

This film is a triptych made of three unrelated stories connected only by theme. In the first chapter, “Magic (or Something Less Assuring)” best friends Meiko (Kotone Furukawa) and Tsugumi (Hyunri) are taking a taxi ride back home after a photoshoot, and Tsugumi tells her about an amazing guy she’d just gone on a date with. In “Door Wide Open,” Nao (Katsuki Mori), a married mother and belated college student is having an affair with fellow classmate Sasaki (Shouma Kai), who convinces her to “honeytrap” a professor Sasaki has a grudge against. And in the best and final chapter, “Once Again,” two former friends, Natsuko (Fusako Urabe) and Aya (Aoba Kawai), reunite after their 20-year high school reunion.

If it sounds like I’m being evasive about each plot it’s because I am. Not because any “spoilers” will ruin the stories, but because the sense of discovery is one of the best parts of the film. The revelations made in the second acts of each chapter elevate the stakes and dramatic tension. But regardless of whether or not you know the twists before seeing the film, the real magic is in the incredible performances by the women leading each installment, and the nuanced dialogue from Hamaguchi.

Nao (Katsuki Mori) and Segawa (Kiyohiko Shibukawa) in “Door Wide Open”

The director is known for his uniquely extensive rehearsal process, which requires his cast to “read the script to each other over and over and over and over (and over and over) again” until the written words are no longer something they’re reading off a page but become a part of them. This is a dialogue-heavy film (most scenes are just two people talking), and Hamaguchi’s approach works wonders. The combination of the actors’ naturalist performances and Hamaguchi’s honest words make these characters feel real and have rich backgrounds, as if we know much more about them than we should in the 40-minute chapters. Their intimate conversations feel authentic because they’re written so specifically yet are also universally relatable (like one of my favorite pop stars). I found myself able to relate to each of the stories told. The characters confess regret, a longing for change, defeated by the passage of time. The use of lies, deceit, and role playing is an important element utilized in the film to help the characters fantasize and rewrite their lives, which in turn help them learn something about themselves, and even achieve catharsis.

Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy won’t be a film for everyone, but I found it to be immensely profound and moving and one of the best films of the year. Hamaguchi made the film as a sort of practice run for Drive My Car, his second film this year (and my most anticipated, after hearing such good things about it), based on the short story of the same name by Haruki Murakami. “I knew [Drive My Car] would involve conversations in cars, a number of explicitly sexual scenes, and that it was going to be about the subject of performance.” If Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy was just the practice round, I can’t wait to see the final product, its spiritual successor.