Slow death
"Ten Years Japan" (2018) was a film that had some interesting ideas, but largely felt like a collection of pilot ideas to be explored further; quite predictable and obvious in its themes. "Plan 75" by Chie Hayakawa was the opening short in the collection, looking at a euthanasia solution to Japan's ageing population problem. And it was a good enough short, that didn't dig too deep or offer a huge amount in terms of new ideas.
Fast forward four years, and Hayakawa has developed the idea further in a feature film, that while exploring the difficulties of such a solution in practice, perhaps feels a little light in its exploration of the idea.
Michi (Chieko Baisho) signs up to the Plan 75 programme, a government scheme to financially reward the elderly if they agree to be euthanised on turning seventy-five in a bid to help reduce Japan's ageing population problem. Approached like signing up for a life-insurance policy, it is more of an admin-heavy process than a deep emotion decision.
Receiving regular, fifteen-minute calls from her assigned counsellor Yoko (Yuumi Kawai), the pair develop something of a bond and meet against the programme's rules. Michi starts to lament the choice she has made, as anyone would, though appears happy to continue with her original choice, as if too much of a burden to change the situation now.
Much like the short before it, this is a very slow-paced film, using minimal movement, dimly-lit and with a sparse soundtrack. As such, it is a slow and largely silent film. Hayakawa's use of silence is perhaps the most impactful element of the film, allowing the audience to reflect on this possible future scenario.
The problem with this lack of action, however, is it does allow the audience to drift into their own thoughts, some scenes flying-by without notice. There is some good filmmaking here, but perhaps better suited to a shorter runtime. Over its whole length, it doesn't do enough to fully engage the audience.
It highlights many of the challenges of such an idea: the possibility of changing your mind; employees having to handle their own relatives; not growing attached to those who are soon to die, but these are presented more as administrative challenges, and while handled tactfully, not with any great depth. Most of these are problems you would have naturally considered yourself when posed with the idea, and so don't particularly challenge your thoughts on the situation. Its relative objectivity and slow-pace doesn't pose enough questions or offer enough answers to a controversial idea and social problem.
Areas such as Filipino employee Maria (Stefanie Arianne) being told that taking the recently deceased's personal items home - as they've now passed and it means less waste - is presented at face-value and not explored as a moral dilemma. And Okabe's (Hayato Isomura) wanting to give his uncle a proper funeral is only started at, but never furthered.
This, therefore, has ideas that have been tackled before and doesn't offer a huge amount in new perspectives. The only real protest shown to the idea is the faceless throwing of objects when setting up a sales stall. It's met with a routine response. There is social comment in this, living in a society where such a scheme would be met with such a lack of emotion. We have perhaps all become too detached from one another in a world determined by statistics and targets. But overall, this doesn't offer enough of a voice to those involved.
But the silence does hang heavy in some scenes and is where the most impact is gained. On conclusion, it is something of a deafening silence, allowing us a moment of reflection. Perhaps what this offers most is the opportunity to contemplate at length what we already know: that one day, we will die.
Politic1983.home.blog.
Fast forward four years, and Hayakawa has developed the idea further in a feature film, that while exploring the difficulties of such a solution in practice, perhaps feels a little light in its exploration of the idea.
Michi (Chieko Baisho) signs up to the Plan 75 programme, a government scheme to financially reward the elderly if they agree to be euthanised on turning seventy-five in a bid to help reduce Japan's ageing population problem. Approached like signing up for a life-insurance policy, it is more of an admin-heavy process than a deep emotion decision.
Receiving regular, fifteen-minute calls from her assigned counsellor Yoko (Yuumi Kawai), the pair develop something of a bond and meet against the programme's rules. Michi starts to lament the choice she has made, as anyone would, though appears happy to continue with her original choice, as if too much of a burden to change the situation now.
Much like the short before it, this is a very slow-paced film, using minimal movement, dimly-lit and with a sparse soundtrack. As such, it is a slow and largely silent film. Hayakawa's use of silence is perhaps the most impactful element of the film, allowing the audience to reflect on this possible future scenario.
The problem with this lack of action, however, is it does allow the audience to drift into their own thoughts, some scenes flying-by without notice. There is some good filmmaking here, but perhaps better suited to a shorter runtime. Over its whole length, it doesn't do enough to fully engage the audience.
It highlights many of the challenges of such an idea: the possibility of changing your mind; employees having to handle their own relatives; not growing attached to those who are soon to die, but these are presented more as administrative challenges, and while handled tactfully, not with any great depth. Most of these are problems you would have naturally considered yourself when posed with the idea, and so don't particularly challenge your thoughts on the situation. Its relative objectivity and slow-pace doesn't pose enough questions or offer enough answers to a controversial idea and social problem.
Areas such as Filipino employee Maria (Stefanie Arianne) being told that taking the recently deceased's personal items home - as they've now passed and it means less waste - is presented at face-value and not explored as a moral dilemma. And Okabe's (Hayato Isomura) wanting to give his uncle a proper funeral is only started at, but never furthered.
This, therefore, has ideas that have been tackled before and doesn't offer a huge amount in new perspectives. The only real protest shown to the idea is the faceless throwing of objects when setting up a sales stall. It's met with a routine response. There is social comment in this, living in a society where such a scheme would be met with such a lack of emotion. We have perhaps all become too detached from one another in a world determined by statistics and targets. But overall, this doesn't offer enough of a voice to those involved.
But the silence does hang heavy in some scenes and is where the most impact is gained. On conclusion, it is something of a deafening silence, allowing us a moment of reflection. Perhaps what this offers most is the opportunity to contemplate at length what we already know: that one day, we will die.
Politic1983.home.blog.
- politic1983
- Jan 2, 2024