To Be or Not to Be

Phone messages from the cat-loving landlord living directly above you. Ah, New York.

Soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, cynical former newspaper correspondent John Royer devises a scheme with his old editor and government agents to return to the Far East and smuggle out a vast amount of rubber for the war effort. Demanding the freedom and company of his ex-friend, Carnahan, whom he betrayed in an exposé years earlier, Royer sails off into the hands of the Japanese with a motley crew, gold, and the promise of covert government aid.

Makhmalbaf puts an advertisement in the papers calling for an open casting for his next movie. However when hundreds of people show up, he decides to make a movie about the casting and the screen tests of the would-be actors.

Souta and Doumoto have finally moved together. However, the couple's happiness is short-lived since Souta's older sister, Kozue, unexpectedly goes to her brother for asylum after arguing with their parents and running away from home. Souta will end up developing jealousy towards her sister since he believes Doumoto is interested in her.

In 1950s Mexico City, William Lee, an American ex-pat in his late forties, leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival in town of Eugene Allerton, a young student, stirs William into finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone.