Synopsis

Director Tomoaki Fujino asks a difficult question that hits home for anyone who’s struggled to help a family member with mental health issues: What should we have done? Deeply personal and powerful, this decades-spanning documentary captures the fragmented lives of his older sister, Masako, who started showing signs of schizophrenia in her 20s, and his parents who refused treatment for her. Their decision would have serious and lasting consequences as Masako’s condition deteriorated. Through home videos and narration, the director recounts his family’s background and dynamics, seeking to understand his sister’s pain and his parents’ denial.

Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival
Taiwan International Documentary Festival

Journalist and author Vivian Tam will join the post-screening sharing on 23 Oct. Her newly published book, Shackled: The Chinese Family, the Mammoth Beast, discusses a similar journey that resonates deeply with the theme of the film