is a 2004 Japanese film directed by

Kiyoshi Sasabe Kiyoshi Sasabe (佐々部清) (January 8, 1958 – March 31, 2020) was a Japanese film director. Career Born in Shimonoseki, Sasabe graduated from Meiji University before attending the Yokohama Hōsō Eiga Senmon Gakuin (now the Japan Academy o ...

. It was chosen as Best Film at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony.

Summary

Respected inspector Soichiro Kaji is imprisoned for killing his wife, Keiko, who, suffering from

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

, requested it. His colleagues at Tokyo Police Force discover that Kaji intended to commit suicide after killing her, but instead went away on a bullet train two days later. A suspicious item is found in his coat pocket that suggests Kaji was unfaithful. The incident makes headlines in Tokyo, where a young female reporter sets out to find the truth about the acclaimed yet intriguingly silent defendant. Soichiro Kaji has drawn the interest of many: lawyer, judge, detective, relative... Slowly they weave the tale behind it all and tentatively tread upon the question of

euthanasia Euthanasia (from el, εὐθανασία 'good death': εὖ, ''eu'' 'well, good' + θάνατος, ''thanatos'' 'death') is the practice of intentionally ending life to eliminate pain and suffering. Different countries have different eut ...

Cast

Akira Terao is a Japanese musician, singer and movie actor. As of 2012, he is the only male actor to have received both the Japan Record Award and the Japan Academy Award for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role. Early life Terao was born ...

: Soichiro Kaji *

Mieko Harada is a Japanese actress from Tokyo. She has played various roles in many motion pictures, television shows and television dramas since her debut in 1974. Career Harada most notably portrayed Lady Kaede in Akira Kurosawa's 1985 film ''Ran'', and ...

: Keiko Kaji *

Hidetaka Yoshioka is a Japanese actor known for his performance in several movies as a child and lately the award-winning TV drama Dr. Coto's Clinic. He notably played the part of Tora-san's little nephew in the "Otoko wa Tsurai yo" film series, and he appeared ...

* Mayu Tsuruta * Kyohei Shibata *

Kirin Kiki (15 January 1943 – 15 September 2018) was a Japanese actress for Japanese cinema and television. Biography Kiki was born on January 15, 1943, in Kanda, Tokyo. Her father was a master of the ''biwa'' lute and a former police officer. Her mother ...

: Yasuko Shimamura *

Reiko Takashima is a Japanese actress. Career Takashima starred in Shinji Aoyama's 1999 film, ''EM Embalming''. She has also appeared in films such as '' K-20: Legend of the Mask'', ''Railways'' and ''Space Battleship Yamato''. Filmography Film * ''Like a Rol ...

Jun Kunimura is a Japanese actor who has performed in Japan, Hollywood and Hong Kong. He won Best Supporting Actor and the Popular Star Award at the 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in the South Korean horror film '' The Wailing'', directed ...

Tsuyoshi Ihara is a Japanese actor, martial artist, and writer of Korean descent. Biography Ihara is a Japanese person of Korean descent, born on November 6, 1963, in Kitakyūshū as Yun Yu-gu (윤유구/尹惟久) and who grew up in Ikuno-ku, Osaka. He is a ...

Tomoko Naraoka is a Japanese actress and narrator. The daughter of a painter, she was born in Komagome, Tokyo, Komagome, Hongō, Tokyo, Hongō (present-day Bunkyō, Tokyo, Bunkyo), in the city of Tokyo City, Tokyo, Japan. She graduated from Joshibi University ...

Reception

The film was nominated for twelve awards at the 2005 Japan Academy Prize, winning Best Film and Best Actor. It also won the award for Best Actor at the 2005

Blue Ribbon Awards The are film-specific prizes awarded solely by movie critics and writers in Tokyo, Japan. The awards were established in 1950 by which is composed of film correspondents from seven Tokyo-based sports newspapers. In 1961, the six major Japanes ...

References

External links

* * * * * * 2004 films Films directed by Kiyoshi Sasabe 2000s Japanese-language films Toei Company films Picture of the Year Japan Academy Prize winners 2000s Japanese films {{2000s-Japan-film-stub