Movies
A pretty classic arthouse film. It's listed as sci-fi in some places, as it pitches a new idea to solve our aging population, but it's a core arthouse drama. There are no sci-fi elements beyond the titular Plan 75, which is nothing more than a new law being passed. Just setting expectations right here. To curb aging populations, Japan has passed Plan 75, a new law that allows senior citizen to plan their own death. They get a bit of bonus money to spend before they voluntarily commit suicide, and they even get their funeral arranged for them, all so future generations don't have to carry the burden of funding their existence. The cinematography is decent but somewhat expected, the performances are solid without any standouts. It's a polished film, but the setup is rather basic and mulls on a theme that has been around for a while (anyone remember Roujin Z?). Plan 75 isn't a bad film, it's just a little too by the number to leave a strong impression.Read all
Japan's take on the "Ten Years" anthology project. It should've been a good chance to discover some new talent and dissident voices, but the result is way too safe and expected. Produced by Koreeda, but it mostly feels like a project directed by lesser skilled Koreeda knock-offs. The shorts themselves aren't terrible, but there is lots of wasted potential here.