Plan 75
Writer
  • Chie Hayakawa
  • Jason Gray
Starring
MusicRémi Boubal
CinematographyHideho Urata
EditingAnne Klotz
Studio
  • Loaded Films
  • Urban Factory
  • Happinet-Phantom Studios
  • Dongyu Club
  • WOWOW
  • Fusee
DirectorChie Hayakawa
Producer
  • Eiko Mizuno-Gray
  • Jason Gray
  • Maeva Savinien
Distributor
Released20 May 2022 (Cannes Film Festival); 17 June 2022 (Japan); 7 December 2022 (Philippines)
Runtime112 minutes
Country
  • Japan
  • Philippines
  • France
Language
  • Japanese
  • Filipino

Plan 75 is a 2022 dystopian drama film directed by Chie Hayakawa, starring Chieko Baisho, Hayato Isomura and Stefanie Arianne. It was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.

Plot

In a near-future Japan, the Japanese government creates a program called "Plan 75" that offers free euthanasia services to all Japanese citizens 75 and older to deal with its rapidly ageing population.

Cast

Production

The film is based on a short film of the same title, also directed by Chie Hayakawa, that was released as part of the 2018 anthology film Ten Years Japan.[1][2]

Release

The film premiered at the Un Certain Regard section of the 75th annual Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2022.[3] The film also won the Special Mention award in the Caméra d'Or competition.[4] The film was released in Japan on 17 June.[5] The film was selected as the Japanese entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards.[6]

Film distributor TBA Studios had acquired the theatrical distribution rights to the film in the Philippines, one of the co-producing countries for this film.[7]

Reception

Critical response

Plan 75 has an approval rating of 95% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 55 reviews, and an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Sensitive and insightful, Plan 75 uses its sci-fi setting to explore our relationship with death -- and what it really means to live".[8] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 70 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]

Diego Semerene of Slant Magazine rated the film 3 stars out of 4 and wrote that "With stinging precision, Hayakawa Chie reveals a culture that seems almost mobilized to destroy its own soul."[10] Stephanie Bunbury of Deadline Hollywood wrote that "Stylistically, it looks a bit like a training film. What this means – the brilliance of this film – is that Hayakawa is able to make the idea of wiping out a generation seem drably normal within about quarter of an hour, something to ponder in itself."[11] Tim Grierson of Screen Daily wrote that the film "may seem like it’s about ageing, but more accurately it is about the importance of community".[12]

James Hadfield of The Japan Times rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote that "as the film progresses, a sense of numb resignation sets in. But Hayakawa refuses to end on a resolutely downbeat note — and in its haunting closing shot, “Plan 75” achieves something close to an epiphany."[1] Clarence Tsui of the South China Morning Post also rated the film 4 stars out of 5 and wrote that "throughout the film, Hayakawa implies rather than explains, and this tactfulness instils Plan 75 with the power one expects of a bitter denunciation for our troubling times."[13] Jaden S. Thompson of The Harvard Crimson also rated the film 4 stars out of 5, writing that it "upholds the inherent value of human life with its introspective writing and performances."[14]

Accolades

AwardCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
35th Nikkan Sports Film AwardsBest FilmPlan 75[15]
[16]
Best DirectorChie Hayakawa
Best ActressChieko Baisho
Best Supporting ActorHayato Isomura
Best Supporting ActressYūmi Kawai
Best Newcomer
47th Hochi Film AwardsBest PicturePlan 75[17]
Best DirectorChie Hayakawa
Best ActressChieko Baisho
Best Supporting ActorHayato Isomura
Best Supporting ActressYuumi Kawai
77th Mainichi Film AwardsBest PicturePlan 75[18]
[19]
Best DirectorChie Hayakawa
Best Screenplay
Best ActressChieko Baisho
Best CinematographyHideho Urata
Best Sound RecordingMasaru Usui
65th Blue Ribbon AwardsBest FilmPlan 75[20]
Best DirectorChie Hayakawa
Best ActressChieko Baisho
Best Supporting ActorHayato Isomura
16th Asian Film AwardsBest ActressChieko Baisho[21][22]
Best Supporting ActressYuumi Kawai
Best New DirectorChie Hayakawa
Best CinematographyHideho Urata
46th Japan Academy Film PrizeBest ScreenplayChie Hayakawa[23]
Best ActressChieko Baisho
44th Yokohama Film FestivalYoshimitsu Morita Memorial Best New DirectorChie Hayakawa[24]
Best ActressChieko Baisho
Best Supporting ActorHayato Isomura
Best Supporting ActressYuumi Kawai

See also

References

  1. ^ Hadfield, James (23 June 2022). "'Plan 75': A chilling look at a callous future society". The Japan Times. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  2. ^ Schilling, Mark (24 October 2018). "'Ten Years Japan': Chilling and sharp, these five shorts are a must-see for fans of 'Black Mirror'". The Japan Times. Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  3. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (27 May 2022). "Un Certain Regard's Japanese Dystopian Title 'Plan 75' Sells to Several Territories (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  4. ^ Lui, John (24 August 2022). "Japanese film Plan 75 about the elderly 'scarier than a horror movie', says director". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  5. ^ Peerez, Jessica (9 June 2022). "Plan 75: How a Haunting Solution to an Aging Population Inspires Empathy". MovieWeb. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  6. ^ Frater, Patrick; de la Fuente, Anna Marie; Keslassy, Elsa; Barraclough, Leo; Vivarelly, Nick; Schilling, Mark; Hopewell, John; Punter, Jennie; Ramachandran, Naman; Vourlias, Christopher (13 September 2022). "Oscars Race: Austria Enters 'Corsage' in International Film Contest". Variety. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  7. ^ Shakleton, Liz (25 September 2022). "TBA Studios Acquires Philippines Rights To Japan's Oscars Submission 'Plan 75'". Deadline Hollywood
  8. ^ "Plan 75 | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes
  9. ^ "Plan 75 Reviews". Metacritic
  10. ^ Semerene, Diego (22 May 2022). "Plan 75 Review: A Quietly Tragic Depiction of a World Where Empathy Is Scarce". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  11. ^ Bunbury, Stephanie (28 May 2022). "Cannes Review: Chie Hayakawa's 'Plan 75'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  12. ^ Grierson, Tim (21 May 2022). "'Plan 75': Cannes Review". Screen Daily. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  13. ^ Tsui, Clarence (20 May 2022). "Cannes 2022: Plan 75 movie review – Japan's ageist social mores reconsidered in harrowing yet humane drama, a feature-length expansion from Ten Years Japan". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  14. ^ Thompson, Jaden (24 May 2022). "From Cannes: 'Plan 75' is Haunting and Life-Affirming". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  15. ^ "日刊スポーツ映画大賞・石原裕次郎賞ノミネート発表 「PLAN75」が最多6部門". eiga.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  16. ^ "日刊スポーツ映画大賞・石原裕次郎賞決定". Nikkan Sports. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  17. ^ "「第47回報知映画賞」各賞ノミネート決定". PR Times. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  18. ^ "毎日映画コンクール 石川慶監督の「ある男」が最多の9部門でノミネート". Sponichi. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  19. ^ "「第77回毎日映画コンクール」『ケイコ 目を澄ませて』最多5冠 沢田研二、岸井ゆきのら受賞". Oricon. 19 January 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  20. ^ "第65回ブルーリボン賞 各部門候補が決定 受賞者は2月発表". Tokyo Sports. 4 January 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  21. ^ "アジア・フィルム・アワードで「ドライブ・マイ・カー」8部門ノミネート". Natalie. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  22. ^ Shackleton, Liz (2023-03-13). "'Drive My Car' Wins Best Feature At Asian Film Awards; Tony Leung Takes Best Actor, Asian Contribution Award". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
  23. ^ "『第46回 日本アカデミー賞』受賞者・作品発表 『ある男』最多12部門13の優秀賞 助演女優に2人同時". Oricon. 23 January 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  24. ^ "第44回ヨコハマ映画祭 2022年日本映画個人賞". Yokohama Film Festival. Retrieved February 5, 2023.