Close Your Eyes and Hold Me

Close Your Eyes and Hold Me

Year: 1996

Runtime: 90 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Itsumichi Isomura

RomanceDrama

Tenderly played Japanese love triangle between a man, his girlfriend and a transvestite hooker

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Timeline & Setting – Close Your Eyes and Hold Me (1996)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Close Your Eyes and Hold Me (1996). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Modern day

The narrative unfolds in contemporary urban settings, with scenes in a hospital, a transgender nightclub, and intimate moments in a car on snowy streets. The tone reflects present-day attitudes toward sex, identity, and guilt. The timeline centers on a single period of intense, rapidly shifting relationships rather than a long historical arc.

Location

Hospital, Nightclub, Amane's hometown

The story moves between a clinical hospital setting and a nightclub that serves as a secretive space for Hanabusa. The nightclub scene contrasts with Amane's ordinary life, highlighting the allure and danger of a relationship beyond conventional boundaries. Interludes in Amane's hometown and snowy roadside moments emphasize loneliness and the emotional geography of the characters.

❄️ Snowy streets 🏥 Hospital 🎶 Nightclub 🏡 Hometown

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:55

Main Characters – Close Your Eyes and Hold Me (1996)

Meet the key characters of Close Your Eyes and Hold Me (1996), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Amane (Kazuya Takahashi)

A bored office worker whose growing obsession with Hanabusa drives him to improvise around his relationships and moral boundaries. He craves closeness but wrestles with loneliness and commitment, leading to volatile choices.

🧑‍💼 Office worker 💔 Troubled 🌀 Obsessive

Hanabusa (Kumiko Takeda)

A pre-operative transgender woman who runs the club where Amane and she connect. She is confident and enigmatic, challenging Amane's expectations while offering a demanding, intense form of love.

🎭 Trans woman 🗝️ Enigmatic 💖 Complex

Juri (Natsue Yoshimura)

Amane's girlfriend who confronts the affair but becomes entangled in the ensuing tension. She experiences jealousy, anger, and vulnerability as she navigates love and betrayal.

💑 Girlfriend 😡 Jealous 💔 Troubled

Takayanagi (Kunihiko Ida)

Amane's coworker who becomes part of the tangled web of relationships, sleeping with Juri and intensifying emotional conflict.

👔 Coworker ⚡ Catalyst 💬 Drama

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:55

Major Themes – Close Your Eyes and Hold Me (1996)

Explore the central themes of Close Your Eyes and Hold Me (1996), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💘 Love Obsession

Amane's fixation on Hanabusa begins as longing and gradually morphs into consuming obsession. The pursuit destabilizes his relationships, blurring consent and trust and driving him into a dangerous dependency. The theme traces how desire can eclipse empathy and rational choice.

⚧️ Gender Identity

Hanabusa's identity and her nightclub world challenge Amane's preconceived notions about gender and desire. The film uses intimate encounters to probe authenticity, vulnerability, and the tension between societal labels and personal experience. It presents a space where gender fluidity intersects with complex romance.

🫂 Loneliness

Beneath physical attraction lies a deep loneliness fueling Amane's need for connection. His relationships with Hanabusa and Juri expose insecurities and fear of abandonment. The ending hints that companionship can emerge from pain, but only through confrontation with one's own emptiness.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 17:55

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Unlock the Full Story of Close Your Eyes and Hold Me

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Close Your Eyes and Hold Me Summary

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Close Your Eyes and Hold Me Summary

Close Your Eyes and Hold Me Timeline

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Close Your Eyes and Hold Me Timeline

Close Your Eyes and Hold Me Spoiler-Free Summary

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Close Your Eyes and Hold Me Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Close Your Eyes and Hold Me

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More About Close Your Eyes and Hold Me

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