is a 2010 film by

Yoji Yamada is a Japanese film director best known for his ''Otoko wa Tsurai yo'' series of films and his Samurai Trilogy ('' The Twilight Samurai'', '' The Hidden Blade'' and '' Love and Honor''). Biography Yamada was born in Osaka, but due to his father' ...

. The first screening of this film outside

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

was at the closing ceremony of the 60th Berlin Film Festival in 2010.

Plot

The story unfolds as the young Koharu (

Yū Aoi is a Japanese actress and model. She made her film debut as Shiori Tsuda in Shunji Iwai's 2001 film '' All About Lily Chou-Chou''. She subsequently portrayed Tetsuko Arisugawa in '' Hana and Alice'' (2004), also directed by Iwai, Kimiko Tanigawa ...

), the daughter of a pharmacist in a modest neighborhood of Tokyo, is about to marry the son of a prestigious family. Before the event, everybody is anxious that Tetsuro ( Tsurube Shofukutei), the younger brother of Koharu's mother, Ginko (

Sayuri Yoshinaga is a Japanese actress and activist. She has won four Japan Academy Best Actress awards, more than any other actress, and has been called "one of the foremost stars in the postwar world of film." Career Her first media appearance was in the rad ...

), might attend the wedding ceremony. Tetsuro is seen as the black sheep of the family, and though he has lived with the family for quite some time after the death of Koharu's father, Ginko and Koharu are embarrassed by his childish behavior and drunkenness. At first, everybody is relieved that Tetsuro has not come to the wedding. But he turns up at the reception in a loaned

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

and starts drinking heavily and causing a ruckus. During the event, he reveals his special relationship to Koharu: Her father asked him to name her, something he is still particularly proud of as every other endeavor in his life failed miserably. Afterwards, the family is forced to apologize formally to the groom's family, and the oldest brother of Ginko and Tetsuro severs all ties with his younger brother. After letting Tetsuro stay with her for a short time, Ginko lends him money to go back to

Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

. Tetsuro's behavior casts a shadow over his niece Koharu's marriage, and soon she has to move in with her mother again. Even Ginko's patience with her brother comes to an end when she is forced to reimburse a lover of his who had entrusted him with her savings which he has gambled away. Now even Ginko severs her ties with Tetsuro and does not want to hear from him anymore. The next time he visits her, Ginko and Koharu throw him out. Having gotten a divorce, Koharu tries to get her life back together, and she starts a new relationship with a shy carpenter from the neighborhood. Finally, Ginko―who has secretly filled a missing person report―gets the news that Tetsuro has been hospitalized in Osaka. Despite his misbehavior, she is deeply worried and visits him in Osaka, learning that he is terminally ill with

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

and living in a

hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

. Despite his illness, Tetsuro has lost neither his sense of humor nor his childish character, and Ginko is moved to see him being merry among the other patients and the staff of the hospice who have learned to enjoy his character. Tetsuro predicts his own day of death, telling Ginko that the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

told him in a dream. When the day draws closer, Ginko gets the news that Tetsuro's health is deteriorating. She hurries to Osaka and finds him as cheerful as ever, even tricking her into giving him a drink through his feeding tube. When his death gets closer, Koharu arrives as well and finally forgives her uncle on his deathbed. Some time later, Koharu makes preparations for her upcoming wedding with the shy carpenter. Around the dinner table Ginko's

senile Dementia is a syndrome associated with many neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by a general decline in cognitive abilities that affects a person's ability to perform everyday activities. This typically involves problems with memory, ...

mother-in-law suggests inviting Tetsuro, and Koharu and Ginko agree, moved to tears by their memories.

Cast

as Ginko * Tsurube Shofukutei as Tetsuro *

as Koharu *

Ryō Kase is a Japanese actor. Early life Kase was born in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. He moved to Bellevue, Washington in the United States soon after his birth, due to his father's job being transferred. His father Yutaka Kase, was former chairman a ...

as Akira *

Haruko Kato was a Japanese actress. Biography Haruko Kato was born in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, on 24 November 1922. After training at acting school, she was signed up with the film production company Toho in 1939, debuting in ' in the same year. She marri ...

as Kinuyo Takano *

Takashi Sasano is a Japanese actor. Career Sasano has appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's films '' Bright Future'' (2003) and '' Before We Vanish'' (2017). He also appeared in Amir Naderi's 2011 film ''Cut''. Filmography Film * '' Tora-san's Island Encounter'' ( ...

as Maruyama

Background

Kon Ichikawa was a Japanese film director and screenwriter. His work displays a vast range in genre and style, from the anti-war films '' The Burmese Harp'' (1956) and '' Fires on the Plain'' (1959), to the documentary '' Tokyo Olympiad'' (1965), which won t ...

had made a film of the same name, '' Otōto'', based on a novel by Aya Koda, in 1960, which won a Special Distinction Award at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

the following year.

Film festivals

References

External links

*
''Otōto'' at AllMovie
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ototo Films directed by Yoji Yamada 2010s Japanese-language films 2010 films Japanese drama films Films with screenplays by Yôji Yamada