By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Chie Hayakawa
Starring: Chieko Baisho | Hayato Isomura | Stefanie Arianne | Taka Takao | Yumi Kawai
Year: 2023
Running time: 113
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19719904/reference/
Michael says: “The best speculative fiction can illuminate both flaws and beauty of the human condition,. Chie Hayakawa’s adaptation of a story by Jason Gray does this beautifully in a gentle but sobering examination of the worth of a human being as they age. We were a viewing group whose ages ran from the 40s to the 70s and I’m sure this film affected each of us differently, but possibly more terrifying the older we were. The film states up front that Japan is the country with the fastest aging population in the world, and that this is eroding the country’s economy. The government enacts a law that anyone over the age of 75 is eligible to choose euthanasia to help the county with this problem. Everything is clearly stated as a voluntary action, an industry emerges around the law helping older adults who make the decision to end their lives do so with grace and dignity, but as time goes on, and the government considers lowing the threshold age to 65, we see fractures forming in the plan.
“The film follows several disparate characters and stories, and takes its time weaving them together. One storyline in particular doesn’t even really begin until the midpoint of the film, yet it is one of the most affecting. Others don’t connect until the film’s conclusion. It’s a sobering film, and one that benefits from a strong screenplay, a delicate, yet assured directorial hand, and strong acting, particularly from Chieko Baishô (THE HIDDEN BLADE; HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE), who has been acting since the early 60’s. Hayakawa is certainly someone to watch with such a strong debut feature film under her belt. 4 cats.”