A Japanese director shocked moviegoers in Cannes with a dystopian perspective on his country where the elderly have consented to euthanasia to solve the problem of a rapidly aging population.
Japanese director and screenwriter Chie Hayakawa’s “Plan 75” is based on a real problem.
Japan is the fastest aging industrial society, and this trend is causing major economic and political problems because the dwindling number of youth has to support the growing army of the elderly.
About 30 percent of Japan’s population is over the age of 65, most of whom are women, and this number is expected to continue to rise in the coming decades.
In the movie, anyone over the age of 75 is invited to make a deal with the government, in which they receive a sum of money in exchange for their consent to euthanasia. Joint funerals are free.
Attractive ad campaigns and calls from people with calming voices are part of an effort to persuade people to sign up. Charming mentors list little pleasures candidates can afford for money. “You can go to a restaurant,” someone said.
“On the surface, the government’s 75th Plan is full of generosity, friendship and pragmatism, but in reality it is both cruel and shameful,” Hayakawa told AFP.
“Population aging is not a new issue, I always hear people discuss it,” he said.
“When I was young, longevity was considered a blessing, people respected the elderly. Not so, ”the 45-year-old director added.
“Cold and Cruel”
Hayakawa’s debut feature, Plan 75, is full of slow motion scenes with minimal camera movement.
“I wanted the images to be aesthetic and beautiful, but also cold and harsh, just like the plan itself,” he said.
When asked how close his screenplay was to today’s Japanese reality, Hayakawa immediately replied “eight out of 10”.
He said he interviewed seniors as part of his research on the film, and many of them justified the idea of buying financial security over their suicidal desires.
“It can be stressed out by thinking about how they can survive when they are alone. “Choosing when and how they will die can be very encouraging,” he said.
He said that this approach will also find support in the younger generation.
“If there is such a plan on the table today, I believe many people will accept it, even if it is considered a viable solution,” he said.
“Most young people are worried about what their lives will look like. Will their basic needs be met? Will they survive if they live alone? Can they grow old,” he says.
Instead of blaming the government, Hayakawa said many young people were disgusted by the elderly.
“They are frustrated and angry because they are trying to support the elderly, but they think that when the time comes, no one will support them,” he said.
“What worries me most is that we are in a social reality very conducive to a radical solution,” he said. “Scary.”
Hayakawa said that his movie is not about solving the age crisis problem. But an honest assessment of where we are today would be an important step.”
Source: Breitbart
