, also known as ''The Last Dance'' and more rarely ''The Seriously Ill'', is a 1993 Japanese film directed by

Juzo Itami , born , was a Japanese actor, screenwriter and film director. He directed eleven films (one short and ten features), all of which he wrote himself. Early life Itami was born Yoshihiro Ikeuchi in Kyoto. The name Itami was passed on from his fath ...

about the final year of a successful film director suffering from cancer. The film can be seen as a criticism of the traditional attitudes of Japanese doctors to their patients, especially the withholding of information from patients with

terminal illness Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, dementia or advanced he ...

es, which Itami saw as "a violation of human rights". It also touches on other end-of-life issues for the terminally ill, and how Japanese society deals with both life and death. The film's cast includes

Rentarō Mikuni (also sometimes credited as 三国連太郎) (January 20, 1923 – April 14, 2013) was a Japanese film actor from Gunma Prefecture. He appeared in over 150 films since making his screen debut in 1951, and won three Japanese Academy Awards for ...

(Buhei Mukai, the film director),

Masahiko Tsugawa , born Masahiko Katō (加藤雅彦 ''Katō Masahiko''; January 2, 1940 – August 4, 2018) was a Japanese actor and director. Career Tsugawa was born January 2, 1940, in Kyoto, Japan. After acting as a child, he made his major debut at the age o ...

(Doctor Ogata) and

Nobuko Miyamoto is a Japanese actress. She was born in Otaru, Hokkaidō, and raised in Nagoya. She was married to director Juzo Itami from 1969 until his death in 1997, and regularly starred in his films. She has been nominated for eight Best Actress Japanese ...

(Buhei's wife). Mikuni was nominated for Best Actor at the 1994

Japanese Academy Awards The , often called the Japan Academy Prize, the Japan Academy Awards, and the Japanese Academy Awards, is a series of awards given annually since 1978 by the Japan Academy Film Prize Association (日本アカデミー賞協会, ''Nippon Akademii- ...

for his role in both ''Daibyonin'' and ''

Tsuribaka nisshi 6 is a 1993 Japanese film directed by Tomio Kuriyama. Awards 17th Japan Academy Prize *Won: Best Actor - Toshiyuki Nishida *Nominated: Best Actor - Rentarō Mikuni (also sometimes credited as 三国連太郎) (January 20, 1923 – April 1 ...

''. During a May 1993 showing of the film in Japan, a cinema screen was slashed by a right-wing protester.Associated Press
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Plot

Buhei Mukai is a successful actor and film director, and is making a film about a middle aged married couple, both of whom are dying of cancer. After he vomits blood when he is with his mistress, Buhei's wife takes him to the hospital, where the doctor diagnoses him with terminal cancer and operates on his stomach. However, he withholds this information from Buhei, and tells him he has an ulcer. After a remission, Buhei again becomes ill, is operated on for a second time, and is confined to hospital. Gradually he guesses that he must be suffering from cancer, despite constant reassurances to the contrary from his wife and doctor. After a suicide attempt, the doctor and wife decide to tell him the truth. After wrestling with his conscience, Dr. Ogata also allows Buhei to direct the final scene of his film, even though the effort will shorten his life, and agrees not to administer drugs that would prolong his life at the cost of more pain and suffering. Buhei completes his film. He tells the doctor how grateful he is that he was honest about his condition and could live his final weeks to the full. In the last scene, he dies, surrounded by his wife, doctor, nurse and members of the film production crew.

References

External links

* * 1993 films 1990s Japanese-language films Films directed by Jūzō Itami 1990s Japanese films {{1990s-Japan-film-stub