Director- Yamada Yoji.This is the second film I watched in JFF 2025.This is the first film of Yamada that I have seen which is quite a surprise for me as I have had a few from his other eighty-nine films in my watchlist for a long time.After watching this I have found out that this is part of a trilogy with the other two parts being- Kabei: Our Mother and Living With My Mother.The film is a fantastic piece of work that utilizes its runtime quite well and features a variety of characters. I have seldom seen each character being well-fleshed out as was the case in this film.The protagonist of the film is in a high position in HR leading him to be in conflict with his friend who is being forced to resign. This might be a culture or an age thing but I would love to get paid for not doing any work. I could just use that time I need to stay in the office to work on my hobbies. In no way am I resigning.His estranged daughter is currently in college and is currently facing a dilemma of leading a robotic successful life of working hard, getting into a good company, or marrying someone who got into such a company. She instead wants to do something different and explore who she is at the moment.The mother is acting as the glue bringing the duo together. She is a person who has seen all the world has to offer and thus has a listening ear to spare along with knowledge to offer apt bits of advice. The mother's character is played by veteran actress, Yoshinaga Sayuri who as the protagonist's friend said, is still beautiful.The film has a vibe to it that strikes straight into our hearts surpassing rhyme and reason and makes us emotional. It is a highly cathartic piece of work. The way each character speaks in the film appears free as it appears that they speak like this in their day-to-day life as well. This makes the film larger than the screen it is contained in.The film also explores the themes of village life being quainter and the people, friendlier. It shows us what one misses when moving to a city in search of a better life. But it manages to not demonize city life at the same time.The film also makes use of physical touches as a means of bringing people closer together. For eg. the protagonist touches his mother's foot to make Tabi socks for her.The film also explores the themes of doing things that benefit others over oneself in some situations. For eg. the protagonist at the end finally decides to leave his job and help his friend. The film is about taking the joys and sadness of life in stead as both coexist. It is about not turning on one's neighbors and yearning for collective betterment. In the film, the neighborly and homely village life is juxtaposed with the corporate and sterile life one leads in a city.In the final show of the film, the fireworks act as a symbol of togetherness which is chef's kiss. It nearly made me cry.Overall few films I have loved as much as this. I am quite excited to explore more of Yamada's works in the future as this has set great expectations for me.

Director- Yamada Yoji.This is the second film I watched in JFF 2025.This is the first film of Yamada that I have seen which is quite a surprise for me as I have had a few from his other eighty-nine films in my watchlist for a long time.After watching this I have found out that this is part of a trilogy with the other two parts being- Kabei: Our Mother and Living With My Mother.The film is a fantastic piece of work that utilizes its runtime quite well and features a variety of characters. I have seldom seen each character being well-fleshed out as was the case in this film.The protagonist of the film is in a high position in HR leading him to be in conflict with his friend who is being forced to resign. This might be a culture or an age thing but I would love to get paid for not doing any work. I could just use that time I need to stay in the office to work on my hobbies. In no way am I resigning.His estranged daughter is currently in college and is currently facing a dilemma of leading a robotic successful life of working hard, getting into a good company, or marrying someone who got into such a company. She instead wants to do something different and explore who she is at the moment.The mother is acting as the glue bringing the duo together. She is a person who has seen all the world has to offer and thus has a listening ear to spare along with knowledge to offer apt bits of advice. The mother's character is played by veteran actress, Yoshinaga Sayuri who as the protagonist's friend said, is still beautiful.The film has a vibe to it that strikes straight into our hearts surpassing rhyme and reason and makes us emotional. It is a highly cathartic piece of work. The way each character speaks in the film appears free as it appears that they speak like this in their day-to-day life as well. This makes the film larger than the screen it is contained in.The film also explores the themes of village life being quainter and the people, friendlier. It shows us what one misses when moving to a city in search of a better life. But it manages to not demonize city life at the same time.The film also makes use of physical touches as a means of bringing people closer together. For eg. the protagonist touches his mother's foot to make Tabi socks for her.The film also explores the themes of doing things that benefit others over oneself in some situations. For eg. the protagonist at the end finally decides to leave his job and help his friend. The film is about taking the joys and sadness of life in stead as both coexist. It is about not turning on one's neighbors and yearning for collective betterment. In the film, the neighborly and homely village life is juxtaposed with the corporate and sterile life one leads in a city.In the final show of the film, the fireworks act as a symbol of togetherness which is chef's kiss. It nearly made me cry.Overall few films I have loved as much as this. I am quite excited to explore more of Yamada's works in the future as this has set great expectations for me.