Summary
A family drama that dissects the grieving process in raw and (literal) black and white shades.
“Dear god. If you’re there, tell me: where do we go when we die?” From this existential opening to the crisp black and white photography, death and the grieving process are put on stark display in this powerful debut film from director Yano Akihiko.
Following the announcement that family matriarch Sayuri (Nahoko Kawasumi) is dying, each of the family members deal with it in a different way. Her son Takeaki (Kazuma Uesugi) takes it especially hard, lashing out with acts of rebellion. His sister Juri (Minami Inoue) decides to continue with an unplanned pregnancy, despite the outraged response of father Masaaki (Kazunari Uryu).
The Japanese family unit has been at the heart of so many great films. When we think about Ozu or Kore-eda (especially Still Walking), we see countless portrayals of families coming together in grief. YES, YES, YES emerges as distinct for its fractious depiction of the familial unit. Each person is concerned with their own grief rather than supporting each other. Takeaki’s angst goes inward, albeit radically changing his appearance by cutting and dyeing his own hair. Masaaki is more overt, straight up implying Juri’s pregnancy is responsible for her mother’s diagnosis.
Similarly, death and grief is a recurring motif in Japanese cinema. Here much of the conversation centres on the bridging period between diagnosis and acceptance. In the long stretches without any dialogue, punctuated as they often are by arguments, Sayuri is often sidelined by the individual Kübler-Ross journeys. When she does appear, it’s in conversations with each of the family members. In a particularly emotional moment, she tells Masaaki “I’m sorry you married me.” It’s the regret of a partner ahead of the other on the grief trail, wanting to spare them of further hardship.
Nahoko Kawasumi brings measured grace and acceptance as the one person that seemingly ties these characters together. In fact, all the performances are excellent, especially the young Kazuma Uesugi who leaves nothing on the table, all the way through to the gut-wrenching final scenes.
As it all culminates in a final confrontation between father and son, the few dry-eyed viewers will be stunned into an awed hush. It’s the kind of angst we rarely see laid so bare on screen, and it’s a testament to Yano Akihiko’s strength as a filmmaker that he’s willing to let it play out. What emerges from the other side is something new and refreshed, and the building blocks of a new familial unit.
2021 | Japan | DIRECTOR: Yano Akihiko | WRITERS: Yano Akihiko | CAST: Kazuma Uesugi, Kazunari Uryu, Minami Inoue, Nahoko Kawasumi | DISTRIBUTOR: ReallyLikeFilms, Cinemago, Nippon Connection (GER) | RUNNING TIME: 75 minutes | RELEASE DATE: 1-6 June 2021 (Nippon Connection)
