Will to Live 1999

Journey to Mount Kamuriki and the ubasute legend

Yasukichi travels to Mount Kamuriki, where the ubasute legend says that aging parents were once carried up the mountain by their children to die. He contemplates aging, obligation, and the weight of family duty as he confronts the myth. The visit establishes a thematic link between the fable and his own decline.

Bar encounter and humiliation

He goes to a bar run by a woman with whom he had an affair after his wife's death. He soils himself and is thrown out by the bar owner, an incident that underscores his loss of control and social withdrawal. The humiliation foreshadows his fragile health and fractured family ties.

Accident and hospital

Lying on the pavement, he is run over by a man on a bicycle who turns out to be a doctor. The doctor takes him to the hospital, initiating contact with his fractured family. The crash acts as a catalyst for the ensuing family interventions.

Tokuko summoned; reluctant to help

The doctor calls Tokuko, Yasukichi's eldest daughter, who lives with him. She reveals she suffers from bipolar disorder and is initially reluctant to take him home. Ultimately she agrees to become involved, setting the stage for divided loyalties.

The stolen book and the Ubosute tale

Yasukichi steals a book about the ubasute custom from the hospital and begins reading it aloud to Tokuko. The book recounts the story of a 70-year-old widow named Okoma who plans to be carried to Mount Kamuriki by her eldest son. The tale is interspersed with black-and-white sequences, contrasting with their present-day turmoil.

Sister's furniture visit

Tokuko's sister visits to pick up unused furniture and appears emotionally detached from their father. Her visit highlights the family's fragmentation and differing levels of concern. The encounter adds to the sense of a broken family managing an aging parent.

Repeated hospitalizations

Yasukichi is repeatedly hospitalized after defecating himself and passing out in his own home and at the bar. Each stay underscores his deteriorating condition and the strain on his family as they cope with his care. These episodes intensify Tokuko's sense of burden.

Son's wedding announcement

During one hospitalization, Yasukichi's son appears to tell him he is getting married, but the father’s presence at the ceremony is deemed unnecessary. The moment underscores the emotional distance and shifting priorities within the family. It also reinforces the feeling that Yasukichi has become a burden rather than a participant in family milestones.

Decision to commit to a retirement home

Following medical advice and Tokuko's urging, Yasukichi agrees to be committed to a retirement home. The move marks a shift from home care to institutional care and tests the daughter's resolve and guilt. The decision reshapes their relationship and sets the stage for a difficult, mediated care going forward.

Tokuko's guilt-driven rescue

Some time later, Tokuko, feeling alone and guilty for abandoning her father, goes to the retirement home and carries him out on her back. The act mirrors the elder-carriers in the Mount Kamuriki legend, reframing care as a filial duty. It redefines their bond as an act of responsibility rather than neglect.

Okoma's story within the interludes

The Okoma tale is presented in interlaced black-and-white sequences within the book, offering a counterpoint to the living drama. It dramatizes a parallel choice about aging and care, echoing the film's central themes. The interludes deepen the ritualization of memory and myth in the narrative.