Turning Point (女ざかり)

SHOCHIKU FILMS

A Shochiku, TV Tokyo, AMUSE, Nippan Group Holdings Co-Production

During production,

we took excerpts from Noboru Nakamura's film "I'm Waiting for You",

and they play an important part in the story.

We wish to extend our gratitude to Nakamura and his team.

Executive Producer: Nobuyoshi Ôtani

Producer: Shigehiro Nakagawa

Based on a novel by: Saiichi Maruya - Published by Bungeishunjū -

Written by: Tatsuo Nogami Yoshinori Watanabe Nobuhiko Obayashi

Music director: Joe Hisaishi

Starring-

Sayuri Yoshinaga Masahiko Tsugawa Morio Kazama Miki Fujitani

Ittoku Kishibe Tadao Takashima Takehiko Maeda Toshinori Omi Tsurutaro Kataoka

Special appearances-

Hideo Takamatsu Fujio Suga Sachio Sakai Mari Shiraki Hirotarō Honda

Tôru Minegishi Chin Naitô Kôen Okumura Shin Yasuda Jun Negami

Wakaba Irie Hajime Izu Ryo Iwamatsu Saburo Boya Keiko Nakajima

Bengal Hiroko Isayama

Also starring-

Yumeji Tsukioka Tamao Nakamura Takiko Mizunoe

Joe Shishido Keiko Matsuzaka Tsutomu Yamazaki

And Rentarō Mikuni

Director, continuity and editing: Nobuhiko Obayashi

- A Film Arabesque - 20 cinematic fragements from a novel by Saiichi Maruya.

Turning Point. Or: The Adventure of Yumiko Minami.

Tokyo, year 199X

"Are you well?"

"As I lie sleeping, I look at the beauty of passing days outside my window."

"I am no longer sad."

"The wind is howling today."

"Millions of small, dark-colored leaves are swaying and rustling."

"This whimsical, desolate landscape, where have I seen it before?"

"The sound of the wind brings me back to...

"those memories... memories with no end."

"Saying I was happy or sad would be an exageration."

"I don't want to suffer, but I'm not afraid anymore."

"It might sound strange,"

"but the saddest thing about last night..."

"was that I never saw myself naked."

"Or maybe I did? I just have no recollection."

"I was going mad all night thinking about it."

"Having my body purified after death, it was once repulsive to me,"

"but I suddenly started having second thoughts."

"You might be able to see it in a flash."

"You might be able to see me naked."

"I think it would be best..."

"if I was buried in a high place, with a view of the ocean.

"What do you think?"

"Mr. Ukai, I heard that you swim."

What? That's awful! Who's this Ukai?

It's a suicide note.

"To my dearest Mr. Ukai."

But there's no first name, it's from a novel.

Why don't you read a book or two, Mom?

I want to, but...

You read newspapers all day...

And write newspaper articles...

It's gonna be even worse from now on.

"To write well, you need to read well."

- Wasn't it you who said that, Mom? - That's right.

- Ah, let me do that. - Thanks for the meal.

- My classes start in the afternoon today. - Okay then.

You'll get fat if you keep eating like this.

When you get to be my age, you're more afraid of losing weight.

Did I tell you?

About Satake, from Woman's pages?

The one who only ever eats kappamaki? At the Yūzushi in Roppongi.

Yeah, her. When did you last see her?

On the way back from a Joe Hisaishi concert.

She's very beautiful.

- When was that? - I think it was late last year.

Well, since then,

she started steadily losing weight.

Everyone kept telling her how envious they were.

And it turned out...

- What? - It was cancer.

Uterine cancer.

Oh...

They gave her 6 months.

I was surprised to see such a beautiful woman working at a newspaper.

Ah, aside from you, Mom.

I'll be better off being fat.

No need to worry about that, Mom. Not with that appetite.

What you should worry about is our finances.

Stop giving me cheek. You should sit down and eat, too.

- Can you give me a hand? - Sure.

You taking boxed lunch to work today?

That's right. I might be a little late.

So, just lock up and go to bed early.

I might be late, too.

- Chie. - Yeah?

Do you want to meet him? Dad, I mean.

- Meet with Nakahara? - Yeah.

Why?

Did something happen?

He was taking his dog for a walk.

And when he was about to go back,

he tried to whistle the dog over,

but no sound came out.

So, he went to the hospital and found out why.

- What was it? - Cancer of the larynx.

This was last Sunday, he said.

He called me on the phone at work yesterday.

"Just to give you a heads-up."

He can't whistle...?

You want to see him?

I don't know. You sprang this on me so suddenly.

You're right.

What about you? Will you go to Ōdate?

I don't know yet, either.

Let's talk about this later, okay?

And take out the trash, please.

- Mom? - Yes?

Does he have six months, too?

Maybe a year.

Okay, then...

- Mom? - What is it?

- Good luck on your new post! - Thanks.

- Congratulations! - Thank you!

"If you were to visit my grave,"

"please do so on a moonlit night, if possible."

"I won't need you to visit too frequently."

"Just please, make sure you come alone."

"Farewell, then... Dearest Mr. Ukai."

"Farewell, then... Dearest Gen'ichi Nakahara."

Sorry!

Excuse me.

- Moving, are we? - I wanted to thank you for this opportunity.

It's all because of your own talent. Everyone was in favor of it.

I even prepared a speech to support you.

- But it turned out I didn't need it. - Thank you.

Too bad about that.

Just a moment! Who are you?

Ah, good morning! Congratulations on your new post!

- Good morning. - Yes, good morning!

- That's Shirobei. - And I'm Urano.

- I'm Yumiko Minami. - Can't tell by the name...

- Its gender, I mean. - Oh...

I've heard a lot about you.

Me too, I've heard of you.

- Nice to meet you. - Yes.

Us newbies... have to stick together!

Good morning! Nice to meet you!

Good morning!

"Us newbies have to stick together."

Huh?

Look, you've got bubbles forming up.

- Must be 250... or 300. - What is?

Your blood sugar level.

But, then again, that's not so bad.

Before long, your shoes will be all white from pee droplets.

That's how you know... That you're a diabetic.

No, I'm not really...

It's getting close now... Zenimaru's arrest.

I think we can expect some tremors down the line.

"Year upon year, the flowers stay the same,"

"year after year, the humans always change."

"A word for rosy-cheeked youths in their prime."

"Have pity on half-dead, white-haired elders."

"Goshū" - mutual benefit. You call it "reciprocity" in English.

- Right? - Huh? Right, yes.

You might say that terms like "mutual relationship" and "reciprocity"

are just polite ways of framing the exchange of gifts.

Ah, Mr. Urano! Over here! My name is Tsujimura.

In sociology, there's a theory called the "exchange theory".

If someone receives a gift, they feel obliged to give something back.

With this idea of exchange, you can explain pretty much anything.

Like how we exchange gifts in June and December.

Or how in Japan...

when you meet someone, you exchange business cards with them.

Stuff like that is fairly typical.

So, what about a politician bribing a constituent in order to get their vote?

That's clearly a reciprocal exchange, an exchange of gifts.

Politicians get their votes from their constituency.

And, in return, they do things for them like build roads and railway lines...

Calling it "bribery" might be a bit of an overstatement,

but, in general, it is true that exchanging gifts invigorates our economy.

But, you know, giving of gifts is like a social custom.

And it varies from culture to culture.

What's more, placing too much value on the "exchange theory"...

might lead to your way of thinking becoming base and vulgar.

So, you mean, like Zenimaru?

And love? What about love?

A man falls for a woman and sends her flowers and jewelry.

And then, in return, she gives him...

No! That hasn't been my experience.

- Yeah? - Love...

It's something that's given freely for eternity.

- Right? Ms. Minami? - Right.

Well, now that we've ended on Mr. Tsujimura's romanticism,

let's get on to tomorrow's editorial.

Looks like we're all here,

so let's start with the introductions first.

So, from the local news section, or rather, I should say...

formerly of the local news section, Mr. Jūzō Urano.

And formerly of the Women's page, also joining us from today, Yumiko Minami.

I look forward to working with you.

Now, I'm sorry for hitting you with this right out of the gate,

but how about we give tomorrow's editorial to the new arrivals?