Plan 75: NZIFF Review

Quietly mundane in its execution, but urgent and timely in its horrific story, Japanese film Plan 75 shows the horror of doing nothing - and of being inert in bureaucracy.

In an unspecified future date, Japan's elderly population is at crisis point. For a society known for its care of its seniors, continued strain on resources has meant the elderly are no longer revered, victims of crime as they burden the younger.

When the government brings in assisted suicide for those over 75, business booms. But for 3 people of different generations, their world is about to change.

Michi (Chieko Baisho), a 78-year-old hotel maid lives an independent life, but is forced to reconsider her options after losing her job; Hiromu (Hayato Isomura), a young Plan 75 recruiter, begins to question what this policy really means when his uncle signs up and Maria (Stefanie Arianne) is a Filipino caregiver who takes on a job to make more money to send home for her sick daughter.

With a low-key feel, Plan 75 goes about delivering devastation in small doses. 

Building a sense of isolation among the elderly Baisho's performance demonstrates the dichotomy of the elderly - whereas she's spry and alert, others are less sturdy. But by underplaying her part and seizing on the moments of joy, Baisho makes the beating heart of Plan 75 come sickeningly to life.

With commentary on how private business can benefit in horrific ways, Plan 75 delivers a social commentary that has an urgency and a need for discussion now. It may be a dystopia, but it could very easily become a reality.

Bathed in melancholy and grappling with the big issues in subtle yet informed ways, Plan 75 presents a heartstopping portrait of a philosophy that could become a reality. Essentially a lesson in humanism, director Hayakawa Chie's handling of the subject with delicacy and poignancy makes it all the more sobering, devastating and horrifying in equal measure.

Plan 75's realism will appall, its message will shock and its haunting effects will be with you for a long time after it's finished.