Based on a novel by Otsuichi, Waiting in the Dark is written and directed by Tengan Daisuke, the son of late legendary director Imamura Shohei. In his earlier films Aiki and Asian Beat: I Love Nippon, not to mention his writing contributions to Miike Takashi's Audition and his father's Warm Water Under a Red Bridge, Tengan has shown a knack for both humanistic and corporeal storytelling, a talent that is again on display in his latest film. Waiting in the Dark, a.k.a. Kurai Tokoro de Machiawase, stars up-and-coming Taiwanese actor Wilson Chen. Though Chen has spoken Japanese in some of his previous titles, such as Sugar & Spice Fumi Zekka, this film presents a new challenge as it is his first completely Japanese-language leading role. Opposite Chen is popular actress Tanaka Rena (A Day on the Planet), whom he earlier collaborated with in Tripping, and actor Sato Koichi (What the Snow Brings). Quiet, heartfelt, and understated, Waiting in the Dark is a small title that goes a long way.
Young Chinese-Japanese Akihiro (Wilson Chen) is a loner and prefers to remain distant from other people. Because of his personality and background, he is treated poorly by his co-workers, particularly Toshio (Sato Koichi) whom Akihiro grows to hate. When Toshio is killed in a train accident, Akihiro becomes the prime murder suspect. On the run, he hides in the apartment of a blind young woman, Michiro (Tanaka Rena), who is initially unaware that she has a visitor. Akihiro silently observes her in her daily life, and Michiro gradually realizes that there is someone else in her home. In that small and quiet apartment, a unique romance begins to bloom.