The story started with a single mother, Keiko Fukushima who has 4
children from different fathers, moving to a small apartment. To the proprietor,
she claimed that he only brought one of his children who was 12 years old,
Akira. While the three siblings were hidden secretly because the three did not
have civil records. The two youngest children, Yuki and Shigeru hidden into the
suitcase. While the older ones, Kyoko, comes separately after Akira picked her
up at the station.
At first, they lived happily and adequately.
Although Keiko was working and being so busy, he still took the time to teach
her children by herself since the four children did not attend school. Sometimes
she came home late at night and woke her children up after she was buying their
favorite food. The firstborn child, Akira managed the finance and expenses. The
second child, Kyoko was responsible for washing clothes secretly so as not to
be known to other residents of the apartment. Aside from Akira, the three
children not allowed to leave.
The conflict started when the mother, Keiko has a boyfriend and refused to tell him about her children. Keiko started leaving her children for a long time. Keiko came home to pack her belongings and left. She promised to go home at Christmas, but she broke her promise and never returned. Akira as the oldest one had to play the role of parents.
When the money left by his mother began to run
out, Akira began to think of ways to get money. He met his father who worked at
Haneda airport. The father could not help him, just gave him a little money. When he
applied for work, he was rejected because he was still underage. He also did
not dare to report because he was fear that his younger siblings would be found out and did
not allowed to stay in the apartment. Their lives was getting harder. Water,
telephone, gas, and electricity was no longer available because they did not
able to pay the bills. (Never mind paying the bills, for food they have to
wait for the rest of the grocery store near his apartment). They took water for
drinking and bathing from the park and public toilets near the apartment.
Akira began to allow his
younger sister and brother to come out quietly to the park. This was where
Shigeru began to start a conversation with a schoolgirl, Saki and their
relationship blossomed into friendship. Saki often visited the apartment. As a
friend, Saki tried to help them earn money by visiting a karaoke lounge with a
man. Akira who knew about it refused Saki's money and kept away from her.
My tears began to come out when Akira's sister,
Yuki fell from the chair and died. Akira did not know what to do. With the rest
of the coins he had, he tried to contact his mother. Since he did not find his
mother, Akira finally met Saki to borrow some money, bought a dozen of Yuki's
favorite chocolates, and put them with stuffed bunny on Yuki's death body in
the suitcase. Akira and Saki brought the suitcase and buried it in a hand-dug
grave to the near Haneda airport as Akira had promised Yuki to see the plane
there.
The ending of the film
might disappoint you. The flow seemed flat and monotone, but this was what made
the film unique and liked a true story in everyday life. Although this story was
not as tragic as the original story (read Sugamo child-abandonment incident/Sugamo
Kodomo Okizari Jiken), it was enough to make me felt touched. I literally recommend
this film. To watch this film, click the following link.
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