Plan 75

Hayakawa’s feature debut, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, puts our ageist society under a microscope. This dystopian drama may provoke comparisons to 1970s-era classics Logan’s Run and Soylent Green, but while exploring similar themes, Hayakawa’s tender and visionary film resonates uniquely. In a chilling near future, the Japanese government offers money to senior citizens willing to self-euthanize. Veteran actor Chieko Baisho stars as Michi, a woman considering whether to accept the stipend and end her life. Juxtaposing Michi’s story with those of a gung ho salesman for the program (Hayato Isomura) and a struggling young mother (Stefanie Arianne), Hayakawa weaves a tapestry of disparate souls, all affected by death, sometimes in unexpected ways. Plan 75 gently ponders modern society’s tendency to shun the elderly and our fear of mortality; by quietly condemning such attitudes, Baisho’s bittersweet performance is a triumph.