40/29
A repressed matriarch and, sadly, over-the-top circumstances – a haunting earthquake, crushing debt, a dying ex-husband, a furious co-worker, and her son’s girlfriend – that push her to the edge. “Challenge” is a standard Japanese word meaning, literally, “ripples,” and metaphorically, the influences each of us exerts on others. This is underlined several times in this film with scenes where the protagonists (the wife, the husband, the son, etc.) are standing in a shallow pond, and the ripples emanating from one character expand in the usual circular pattern to reach the others. Pretty interesting visualization of interpersonal relationships, but nothing that couldn’t be applied to any film involving humans. Or, indeed, any living organism. The film’s arc chronicles the travails of a Japanese housewife forced to deal with the sudden disappearance of her husband, the death of said husband’s father, the only son’s runaway to college and then a career as far away as it’s possible to travel without leaving Japan (well, except for Okinawa), and then the reappearance of said prodigal husband. Among other happenings. There’s quite a bit of humor, quite a few baths, some awkward scenes with the deaf fiancé the son brings home unannounced. I think it was worth watching even before the final scene, which was surprising, moving, invigorating, and actually quite wonderful. Old!