ReviewA Long Goodbye film review: Japanese drama on dementia, sacrifice and minutiae of everyday struggles
- Writer-director Ryota Nakano offers a commentary on Japan’s ageing population crisis and the burden elderly citizens are putting on the country
- In particular, it highlights the sacrifices made by the wife and two adult daughters of an ageing academic after he is diagnosed with dementia
3/5 stars
Following in the grand tradition of master filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu, A Long Goodbye is forged not from earth-shattering drama, but rather the minutiae of everyday struggles that test the bonds of family relationships. In particular, the film highlights the sacrifices made by the wife and two adult daughters of an ageing academic, Shohei (Tsutomu Yamazaki), after he is diagnosed with dementia.
Writer-director Ryota Nakano continues his preoccupation with death, previously explored in Capturing Dad (2012) and Her Love Boils Bathwater (2016), offering a commentary on Japan’s ageing population crisis and the overwhelming burden that a generation of elderly citizens is putting on the rest of the country.
While Shohei’s wife of 35 years, Yoko (Chieko Matsubara), has remained loyally by his side, both their daughters have left home. The younger one, Fumi (Yu Aoi), has remained in Tokyo, where she has been desperately unlucky in love. Bouncing from one failed relationship to the next, she throws herself into a new food truck business, only to discover her professional life is just as challenging as her love life.
Fumi’s older sister, Mari (Yuko Takeuchi), emigrated to the US with her husband, where her role as housewife has made it difficult for her to assimilate. Mari frequently concocts excuses to visit Japan, but her repeated absence is putting a strain on her marriage.