A bizarre comedy that makes you think
I honestly have no idea how I ended up watching this movie, but I have to say—it was weirdly entertaining. It’s the first time I’ve seen a comedy built on deeply dramatic situations, where the characters seem immune to everything, not because they’re strong, but because they simply don’t care.
Sawako Decides breaks every rule of the genre. The story follows Sawako, a woman who has lived in Tokyo for five years, during which she’s had five different jobs and five different boyfriends. She lacks any sort of ambition, and goes through life passively, accepting whatever comes her way without questioning it.
The dullness of her life—and the lives of those around her—is so extreme, it actually becomes funny. It’s irritating, absurd, and oddly hilarious.
A return home and a reluctant shift
Things start to change when Sawako finds out her father is ill. After five years of silence, she decides to return to her hometown and take over the family’s freshwater clam factory. But going back home comes at a cost—and for the first time, she’s forced to make actual decisions.
She brings along her boyfriend Kenichi and his daughter, Kayoko. Their dynamic is just as offbeat as the rest of the film.
Cast and performances
- Hikari Mitsushima (Love Exposure, The End of Summer) brings life to Sawako with the perfect mix of deadpan and vulnerability.
- Masashi Endo (Ku no Kyoukai) plays Kenichi, her awkward and indecisive boyfriend.
- Kira Aihara plays Kayoko, Kenichi’s daughter from a previous marriage.
- Kotaro Shiga as Sawako’s father is perhaps the film’s most charming character—a simple, doting man who just wants his daughter to get her life on track.
Why watch it?
Because it’s strange, refreshing, and it pokes fun at failure and apathy in a way that’s unexpectedly touching. It’s a film about ordinary people, ordinary lives, and the little things that can turn out to matter the most.
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