Issue:

…on Wed., June 19 at 6:45 pm for 5 Million Dollar Life, which poses the question “Just how much is life really worth?” For Mirai Takatsuki (played with gusto by Ayumu Mochizuki), it took $5 million in donations to cover his medical bills and keep him alive. Eleven years later, his miraculous recovery is still TV news, and his mother continues to promise that Mirai will pay everyone back by living up to their expectations. But the 17 year old has had enough of the pressure. In despair, he decides to commit suicide until a stranger texts him that he has no right to take his own life until he returns the $5 million. So Mirai sets out to do just that. What begins as a familiar seeming journey with echoes of the teen suicide/coming of age/road movie genres, then expands into something completely unexpected, constantly surprising and ultimately, transformative. First time feature director Sungho Moon will join us for the Q&A session after the screening with Mochizuki.
(Japan, 2019; 112 minutes; in Japanese with English subtitles.)


– Karen Severns