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“Shockingly, this could really happen in Japan,” said Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, whose film, “Plan 75,” is about a government program that encourages senior citizens to be euthanized starting at age 75 to remedy an aging society.
“There were a lot who said the story is very real and is likely to happen in Japan. There are also those who said it should really happen,” Hayakawa told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent interview to promote the film’s local screenings.
“Japanese people want this option for personal security. A lot of them feel anxious and concerned about the issue since they have a very negative notion of becoming old. They want this not for their elderly, but for themselves,” Hayakawa explained.
The director, however, said she is very much aware of the contrast between Japanese and Filipino cultures, particularly in terms of how they treat their senior citizens. “We have shown this movie in different parts of the world, and most said this could very well happen to their society. In the Philippines, on the other hand, I was told that this would be impossible,” she began.
“Filipinos who will watch this will probably take pity on the Japanese for having this kind of society, and will most likely feel proud of their own. How Filipinos take care of their family, regardless of status and religion, is far from how the Japanese do it, or, at least, how they are depicted in the movie.”
It was knowing about this particular Filipino trait that Hayakawa insisted on putting a Filipino character in the film: Maria, a Japan-based caregiver who is determined to raise money for the medical operation of her daughter in Manila.
“First of all, it’s a reality that more and more Filipino caregivers are going to Japan to find work, as well as to fill up the shortage there. I know that Filipinos have a very strong bond with their families and their community. They help one another, something that Japanese people are already losing these days. I want to show that contrast with this Filipino character and the Japanese ones, who are relatively apathetic,” Hayakawa explained.
