Plan 75

A slow, bleak, and ultimately decent film, Plan 75 apparently belongs in the science-fiction genre, but it's one of those uncomfortably realistic and plausible sci-fi movies that is far from fun or adventurous. It barely even feels like it takes place in the future at all, following several people in Japan who are all involved with a new government program that encourages elderly people (who exceed the age of 75) to end their lives via euthanasia, apparently because of overpopulation concerns.

Not only is the premise bleak, but the slow pace also ensures this is a hard watch. It kind of makes you sit and feel discomfort at the whole thing, and never really suggests that there's much hope for some kind of upbeat conclusion. It's all very muted and quietly sad. I don't think that makes the film boring on it's own, but there was something lacking to make it hit a little harder or feel a bit more engaging. The slowness and uneasiness was definitely intentional, to a certain extent, but I also can't say the approach grabbed me all the time.

But it's decently made and looks at something that I fear could come true, to some extent. It's dark and sad without being a tearjerker, or having much of an emotional release. It's overall probably one of the hardest types of movies to watch, and while I didn't love it, I respect it.

'Plan 75', the feature debut of Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, is an imperfect and shattering movie, one of those films whose idea and theme will follow viewers long after they have finished watching. The film addresses one of the most acute problems of Japan and many other developed countries - the downward demographic curve caused by the aging of the population, with catastrophic consequences for society and the economy. It is quite remarkable that the film describes this problem in a dystopian setting, but the attention of the script and the director is constantly directed towards the human dimension of the characters and the story.

In the near future or perhaps even in an alternate present, the Japanese government adopts 'Plan 75'. Anyone over the age of 75 has the right to free assisted suicide. Not only is the program funded by the government, but an unconditional bonus of ¥100,000 is also given to each senior who chooses this path. The elderly - many of whom struggle with the hardships of life, the limitations of age and especially loneliness - are also given psychological assistance. The program is excellently organized and enjoying success. After all, sacrifice is in the Japanese tradition, and what is more noble than shortening one's life for the benefit of the common good, relieving the state of the burden of maintenance and thus ensuring an easier future for the young today?

Three main characters are followed in three parallel narrative threads, the connection of which takes place towards the end of the film. Himoru is a government official who convinces the elderly to enroll in the program and helps them fill out the necessary forms. Maria is a foreign worker from the Philippines who ends up being employed in the institution where the final stages of euthanasia take place. Michi is a single woman who at 78 years old struggles with life's hardships, works to support herself and is in danger of being evicted from her home. Enrolling in 'Plan 75' is a desperate solution for her, due to economic and social pressure. All of the acting is excellent, but Chieko Baisho's as Michi is the most impressive. In fact, this part of the narrative is the most coherent.

The film has undeniable cinematic qualities, including some memorable shots. However, the thematic is even stronger than the artistic achievement. It is a very Japanese film in atmosphere, characters, style of interpretation, but the problems it raises are universal. The Western conception that life is more valuable than anything else is being questioned. What is the scale of values of a society that prefers shortening - even in comfortable conditions - the lives of the elderly instead of easing them through care in their final years? How are elderly people dealing with loneliness? How 'humane' is assisted suicide? Isn't the very idea of suicide against human nature? 'Plan 75' manages to trigger these questions in the minds of the viewers without rhetoric or melodrama, by telling the stories of truthful characters, who win the empathy of the viewers. This is a debut film that has already achieved well-deserved international notoriety.

This film gave plenty of time to the audience to contemplate on the complex theme of aging in a growing society focused on youth. The film opens on a scene based on the true story of the Japanese man who massacred 19 disabled patients in their hospital beds, believing that he was providing mercy for his victims and a sacrifice that would benefit the nation. Introducing viewers to this very dark event and connecting it to the ethics of care for aging citizens, strikes the dystopian, yet realistic, and societal critical tone for the rest of the film. The scenes have very slow and long scenes showing mundane acts, such as making food, filling out paperwork, and with wide camera shots that has the audience feel more like they are surveilling the characters. There are few moments of character development and it feels slightly detached, when you don't always know a character's full history. However, it puts you into the exact moments the characters are going through seemingly in real time, which adds to the realism of the film. Whether or not the main characters are surrounded by people in a given scene, the lack of nondiegetic sound or music (which would influence how you feel), creates a sense of extreme, heartbreaking loneliness. Considering how Mishi is struggling with her decision to go through with Plan 75, her internal thoughts stay secret which is poignant in thinking about elderly solitude and the painful emotions that arise from that topic. Plan 75 depicts aging as an ongoing ethical question instead of just using senior citizen character to invoke emotion. 6.5/10.

Plan 75: A future Japan where the elderly are offered voluntary euthanasia to deal withe strain of an ageing population. They'll even throw in free cremation and interment. As the narrative unfolds though we see there are subtle pressures placed on older people, they are still working into their 70s, even at manual outdoor jobs, they lack security of tenure in their homes. They are not made into Soylent Green but even their last moments lack the dignity which was offered in that film. They also face violence, the opening scene a middle- aged man shoots his wheelchair bound parent and then commits suicide. The widespread nature of the threat is subtly alluded to. While senior citizens are seen as disposable, immigrant Filipino workers are used as cheap labour as caregivers. Some deeply personal stories are related as characters challenge roles which seem preordained. It's a plausible scenario as Plan 75 also offers a kind of Anti-Samaritans talkline where lonely old folk may discuss their woes. A disturbing film which ypu will mull over long after the credits have rolled. Directed and co-written by Chie Hayakawa. 8/10.

By a large margin, Japan is the nation with the oldest population in the world, which has dire economic consequences in the future. Director/screenwriter Chie Hayakawa drew on this burgeoning reality and fashioned this quietly provocative 2022 character drama based on the dystopian idea of Plan 75, a government program that gives people 75 or older the option of euthanized suicide. It's a macabre (though not far-fetched) concept that Hayakawa cleverly turns into a subtle thriller based on the power of mass suggestion. The main protagonist is Michi, a lonely 78-year-old hotel cleaner who suddenly loses her job and her home, making her a prime candidate for the program. There are other key characters - a young, conflicted Plan 75 employee and a Filipina service worker who helps dispose the remains - but the focus is primarily on Michi played affectingly by Chieko Baisho. To its detriment, the film has a relentlessly somber tone. It could've benefited from a few scares or even laughs. There were just too many lengthy silent shots of Michi contemplating her fateful decision.