Japan rises in Lajpat Nagar

Far from the busy stressful city life, here's a way to take some time off and watch some movies that come as a stress buster. The Japan Foundation will be screening two classic Japanese movies which deal with the common theme of emotions. The movies are in Japanese and will be shown with English subtitles.

The two movies that will be screened are The Family Secret [1992], a story set in Japan in the 1990s and Buddies [1989] which is set in Japan in the year 1935. Both the movies present a different look into family lives and relationships in the Japanese society during different time zones.

The Family Secret — produced by Ijichi Kei and directed by Mizutani Toshiyuki is a 100 minutes film which uses dark humour to delve into the life of a modern Japanese family. Set in 1990s Japan, a family with numerous problems is driven to the extreme when one day, the father Motomura Hiroshi accidentally kills a woman in a car accident. 

While Hiroshi wants to turn himself in, his wife Yoko convinces him not to. An effort to cover the crime triggers a chain of events which further complicates their lives. An effort to destroy the car, which is the evidence, leads to further complication. The situation spirals out of control and becomes normal only when it totally escapes the reality of Japanese life. To her credit, Yoko also manages to bring in some semblance of normalcy into the household. However, Hiroshi finds it difficult to live with the guilt and goes to turn himself in. Only then does he discover that another man has been arrested for the crime. What happens next is what you will have to watch. 

Buddies explores the story set in 1935 Japan about two business families. Bonded by friendship, this family takes a cynical look at how friendship in turn complicates and plays out to their disadvantage. The relationship between the family and within the family undergoes a sea of change, challenging the friendship of the two friends at many levels.

This constant conflict between family, friendship and other relationships are intricately woven. Towards the end as they collect the bits and pieces of their life, they relish in the old times and get together again. The movie is about 114 minutes long and produced by Koichi Ishii, Tomoo Itoh and Junichi Shindoh and directed by Yasuo Furuhata.