In “The Intertwining,” medical students Nakano and Ji-hyun discover that an IVF clinic error more than 20 years ago led to their embryos being implanted in the wrong mothers. The revelation upends their understanding of their families and identities in a drama that builds tension through quiet performances and lingering shots rather than frequent outbursts.

The two women first meet when they respond to an elderly woman collapsing on a city bus. Nakano is Japanese, while Ji-hyun is a Korean exchange student who is often mistaken for Japanese. As they get to know each other, they learn that their parents both work in hospitality and that they were born at the same clinic around the same time.

Nakano has long felt out of place in her family. After learning about DNA sequencing in class, she tests her DNA against her parents’ and brother’s, discovering that they are not biologically related to her. A nurse at the clinic later provides the names of her biological parents. The women then learn that both were conceived through IVF at the same clinic, and that a doctor’s mistake resulted in their embryos being implanted in the other woman’s mother.

The mix-up means Nakano is Korean and Ji-hyun is Japanese. Their reactions differ: Nakano feels little guilt about leaving a family in which she has never felt at home, while Ji-hyun remains attached to her family and does not want to become Japanese. Their contrasting experiences of ethnicity and belonging give the personal story a political undercurrent.

Director Akira Yamamoto, who was mentored by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, relies on long takes and pauses to keep the drama under pressure. The performances by Jiyoung as Ji-hyun and Karata Erika as Nakano are controlled, holding the characters’ intense emotions close rather than pushing them outward. The film also asks viewers to consider what makes a person who they are, though its several coincidences can make the narrative feel less tightly focused.

“The Intertwining” premiered at the 2026 Tokyo International Film Festival and is seeking U.S. distribution.

Sources: IndieWire.