Character Relationship Map: A Pool Without Water

Characters

• Man (played by Yuya Uchida) — protagonist

  A frustrated middle-aged railway ticket puncher burdened by a dead-end job and a nagging wife. He spirals downward after using chloroform to subdue sleeping women, starting with Jun and later Nerika,...

• Woman in the shade of a tree (played by Megumi Saki) — supporting
• Miku (played by Akemi Shima) — supporting
• Nerika (played by Reiko Nakamura) — supporting

  A central female character who becomes the protagonist's romantic interest. He uses chloroform on her to relieve his frustration, serving as a focal point in his psychological and moral downward spira...

• Yakuza (played by Kenji Sawada) — supporting
• Detective (played by Fujio Tokita) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Nerika → Detective (Professional Complainant) — Nerika's report brings her fear into a formal investigative setting.

  Nerika cries for help and reports that a pervert has broken into the house; the women then give statements to the Detective.

• Woman in the shade of a tree → Detective (Professional Witness) — She provides an uncertain testimony to the investigating Detective.

  The film opens with the Woman in the shade of a tree describing to the Detective a disturbing experience during sleep.

• Man → Nerika (Romantic Interest) — Their attraction becomes entangled with Man's disturbing behavior and Nerika's growing fear.

  Man spends time around Nerika at the bar and eventually invites her to stay at his house. The character profile identifies Nerika as his romantic inte...

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Woman in the shade of a tree → Man (Narrative Possible Victim And Suspect Link) — Her testimony establishes the ambiguous pattern surrounding Man's possible crimes.

  Her opening account concerns a possible assault by a stranger, and the film establishes uncertainty about whether such assaults are real or committed...

• Man → Detective (Narrative Subject Of Inquiry) — Man is positioned as a possible subject within the Detective's investigation.

  Women give statements to the Detective about disturbing experiences and a reported intruder, while the film leaves open whether Man committed the assa...

• Man → Yakuza (Conflict Adversary) — The Yakuza represent an external source of disorder around Man's increasingly unstable life.

  A disturbance involving the Yakuza occurs at the bar while Man is connected to the situation there.

• Man → Miku (Social Helper) — Their connection begins with Man assisting Miku.

  Man encounters Miku, a young woman he previously helped in a park, and she thanks him.

Story Analysis

A frustrated man's descent into suspected sexual violence is presented through unstable boundaries between dreams, evidence, fear, and desire.

Plot Progression

1. Dreams Without Evidence — The film introduces a woman whose possible assault cannot be separated from sleep and desire. Man is then shown trapped in a humiliating subway job.
2. A New Uniform Of Power — After losing his job, Man joins a private security organization that promises expanded powers. He reframes unstable patrol work as political surveillance.
3. Desire Enters The House — Man reconnects with Miku and becomes involved with Nerika. Nerika's headaches and fragmented dreams turn their intimacy into suspicion.
4. The Chemical Threshold — Man obtains chloroform while denying the implications of his nighttime behavior. Violence at the bar and a Yakuza disturbance further destabilize the situation.
5. Testimony Without Closure — Nerika calls for help and the women speak to the Detective. One complaint is withdrawn, and the ending preserves uncertainty about reality, imagination, and responsibility.