46/29
A repressed matriarch and sadly exaggerated circumstances – a worrying earthquake, crushing debts, a dying ex-husband, an angry coworker and her son’s girlfriend – drive her to the brink. The title «Hamon» is a standard Japanese word that literally means «ripple», and metaphorically, the effects each of us has on others. This is emphasized several times in this film with scenes where the main characters – wife, husband, son, etc. – stand in a shallow pond, and the waves that emanate from one character spread out in the usual circular pattern to reach the others. An interesting enough visualization of interpersonal relationships, but nothing that could not be applied to any film involving people. Or, indeed, any living organism. The film cycle follows the plight of a Japanese housewife who has to deal with the sudden disappearance of her husband, the death of her husband’s father, her only son running away to university, then a career as far as one can travel without leaving Japan (well, except for Okinawa), and then the reappearance of the aforementioned spendthrift husband. Among other events. It has a fair amount of humor, a fair amount of bathing, the occasional awkward scene with a deaf fiancé who is brought home by her son without any prior notice. It was, I think, worth watching even before the final scene, which was surprising, exciting, empowering, actually quite beautiful. Ole!
