Quick Review #102: Lost Care (movie)

Title: Lost Care / ロストケア

Rating: 8 / 10

Recommended for: 

Those who want to watch a film talking about serious themes for thought such as dementia, mercy killing, euthanasia, living with dignity, social welfare and social mobility and/or are fans of Matsuyama Kenichi and Nagasawa Masami

* Disclaimer: I have not read the original novel.

* Potential spoilers ahead, proceed with caution!

Liked:

- While the original novel was positioned as a suspense story probably more focused on the "who" aspect, the bulk of the movie talked about the "what", "how" and "why" since the identity of the killer was already known from the start. And because the story dealt with really serious life-and-death themes which would affect all of us in one way or another as we and our parents grow older, it posed difficult questions for the viewers to consider and think about what we would do in similar circumstances. I really liked how the issues were illustrated without feeling like there was a "correct answer" pushed to me and there was adequate room and time to consider each point before moving on to the next one.

- The acting of Matsuyama Kenichi and Nagasawa Masami was truly brilliant. While I would say that Matsuyama dominated about two-thirds of the story, Nagasawa also had her moments to shine as the climax in her storyline slowly built up. The showdown between their characters may not appear to be very dramatic in an outwardly manner but there were a lot of underlying emotional battles between the suspect and the prosecutor which showcased both sides of the arguments.

Despite the fact that the prosecutor should be expected to distant herself from the case on an emotional basis and be impartial, her personal situation which coincided to some extent with the suspect but her circumstances allowed her to deal with it in a different way really reinforced the point that "when you are in a safe spot, it is easy to criticise people for doing something which seems wrong or unethical". And the point made by the suspect about how people fall into a hole and just cannot see a way out of it despite their best efforts further strengthened the despair that he and many others stuck in the hell of caring for the critically ill and elderly without the necessary support experienced on a daily basis.

Disliked: 

- Due to the nature of how the story was crafted, those looking for suspense would be disappointed because the identity of the killer was already given away. As such, I would say that the movie is more of a soul-searching humanity story rather than a suspense tale.

- The "heaviness" of the material would no doubt weigh heavily on the minds of the viewers so those looking for light-hearted or relatively stress-free entertainment may not like this. Although I liked this movie to a large extent, the lingering sadness and frustration after watching it was definitely not easy to get over.