The Scythian Lamb 18

A dwindling port town in northern Japan welcomes six strangers into the community in an effort to mitigate its population decline. Unassuming city official Hajime Tsukisue (Ryo Nishikido) is put in charge of the welcoming committee, and does his best to make sure that the outsiders settle in.

Before long though, his initially friendly attitude begins to wane as he discovers that this motley crew of newcomers have a chequered past, and uneasiness begins to creep over the town’s residents. As the strangers begin to infiltrate the town and establish relationships with the locals, inexplicable things begin to occur.

Blending dark humour and taut suspense, director Yoshida Daihachi is a thrilling study of the human condition adapted from a thriller manga by the maestro team of Yamagami Tatsuhiko and Igarashi Mikio.