In 2015, a dystopian omnibus film by five young directors from Hong Kong titled ¡°Ten Years¡± became an indie hit. Envisioning the deteriorating state of the city in a decade¡¯s time, the film enraged Chinese authorities ¡ª and inspired ¡°Ten Years¡± versions in Taiwan, Thailand and Japan.
Supervised by acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda (¡°Shoplifters¡°), ¡°Ten Years Japan¡± also features five young directors and five versions of this country¡¯s near future. Similar to the model on which the project is based, these future Japans are more chillingly possible than thrillingly fantastic ¡ª like a Japanese take on the sci-fi series ¡°Black Mirror.¡± The segments are also sharp and to the point, if different in style. Unusual for an omnibus film, the quality level is consistently high.
The first segment is Chie Hayakawa¡¯s ¡°Plan 75,¡± which begins with a young bureaucrat (Satoru Kawaguchi) patiently explaining a government euthanasia program to its intended targets: low-income and disabled seniors aged 75, who are deemed disposable. His stressed and pregnant wife (Kinuwo Yamada) then suggests her dementia-afflicted mother for ¡°Plan 75.¡±
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