The movie tells the story of an elderly couple and their two grown children who gather for two days on the 15th anniversary of their eldest son’s death, showing the conflict, reconciliation and legacy between them.
The mother has never been able to let go of her eldest son’s passing, and finds it difficult to accept that her second son married a widow with a son, and the father, who lost his eldest son as the heir to the hospital, is unable to face the fact that his second son does not want to become a doctor. The film depicts the sad and happy emotions of daily life with a bland and delicate camera, without exaggerated plots and dramatized conflicts but rather through trivial daily interactions, and a bland camera to create a subtle atmosphere in the space. The subtle atmosphere is created through trivial daily interactions and bland shots.
Together with Deeper Than the Sea and The Family of Thieves, the “Human Trilogy”, Yuzuru Yokoi’s unique perspective on the lives of the little people reflects the realities of society.
2008 / Japan / Drama, Family / Hirokazu Yae / Kuan Abe, Yuki Natsukawa
“Why are you always so slow when you’re walking along the road of life?”
The Yokoyama family lives a quiet and peaceful life in a remote town.
The father, Kyohei (Yoshio Harada), is a retired doctor, but he is always concerned about the affairs of the clinic in the town.
His first son, Junpei, inherited his father’s business, but drowned 15 years ago while trying to save a child from falling into the water.
The second son, Ryota (Kuan Abe), disagrees with his father and insists on traveling to a foreign land to work as a painting restorer.
After years of hard work, he lost his job and married Yukari (Yuki Natsukawa), a young woman with a child, to support each other and move on with their lives.
On the anniversary of Junpei’s death, Ryota and his sister, Chinami (You), return home with their families.
The calm Yokoyama family is once again bustling with activity. …… The film won the 2009 Blue Ribbon Award for Best Director and Best Supporting Actress (Hirabayashi Kiki), Best Supporting Actress (Hirabayashi Kiki) at the 2008 Newspaper and 2009 Movie Lenten, Best Actor (Kuan Abe) at the 2009 Mainichi Film Awards, and the Grand Jury Prize at the 2008 Matabu Lata International Film Festival. Grand Jury Prize and Best Film at the 2008 Mattabrata International Film Festival.
