It has been revealed that actor Ko Shibasaki will star in "Ani wo mochihakoberu saizu ni," a film directed by Nakano Ryota of "Hot Water's Love," his first in five years. She plays a younger sister who struggles with the sudden death of her good-for-nothing older brother, played by Joe Odagiri Joe, together with his ex-wife, played by Hikari Mitsushima.
The story is based on Murai Riko's non-fiction essay "My Brother's End." Riko (Shibasaki) receives a phone call from the police informing her of the death of her brother (Odagiri), whom she hasn't seen for years. Upon hearing that his son Ryoichi, who lived with her brother, had found him, Riko heads to Tohoku, determined to "make my brother portable as soon as possible." At the police station, she is reunited with her brother's ex-wife Kanako (Mitsushima) and her daughter Marina for the first time in seven years, and busies herself with cleaning up after him... This is the story.
The role of Marina, the daughter of her brother and Kanako who lives with Kanako after the divorce, is played by Aoyama Himeno, who appeared in the drama "Caregiving Snack Versailles" (Tokai TV), and the only child, the son Ryoichi who lived with his brother until the end, is played by Ajimoto Yodai, who appeared in the NHK drama "30 Million."
Shibasaki commented, "There are many different forms, but I felt like the shadows in my heart that had been building up were gently lit by playing Murai Riko." Odagiri commented, "Family isn't easy, but this film made me want to take the plunge and get closer than usual and face it honestly," while Mitsushima reflected, "I feel like it was a great shoot, with the kindness in director Nakano Ryota's big eyes, the richness of my beloved Shibasaki Kou, the softness of the towns of Miyagi Prefecture that we visited on location, and the beauty of the sunsets pushing me forward." The film will be released nationwide from November 28th at TOHO Cinemas Hibiya and other theaters.
