MY BROKEN MARIKO/ Mai burôkun Mariko 

Japan, 2022, 87 minutes, Colour.

Mei Nagano, Nao Honda, Masataka Kubota, Toshinori Omi.

Directed by Yuki Tanada.

A story of friendship and sadness. The central character is a young woman, Shiino, who gets news of the suicide of her close friend, Mariko. She is distraught, wants to find out what happened, visits Mariko’s abusive father, steals the urn with the cremated ashes, takes them to the seaside town which was significant in their past.

There are many flashbacks to childhood, to teenage years, to Mariko’s traumas, the support from Shiino, attempts of relationships, mental anguish and mental conditions…

The other main character is a young man who encounters Shiino murders/bag has been snatched by bike rider. He is kind to Shiino, encounters her in her troubles, tells his own story, but intervenes when Shiino encounters the snatcher pursuing another young woman.

There is an upbeat ending of hope despite the sadness of Mariko’s life – and the criticism of Japanese patriarchy and domestic abuse.

1. The title? Affection, suffering?
2. The Japanese setting, apartments, working places, schools, streets, travelling train and bus, the town, the coast and the cliff? The musical score?
3. The impact of the opening, Shiino, the meal, the news of Mariko’s death, the effect?
4. Shiino and her story, at work, the clashes with the boss, his being insulting, her responses, the news of the death, going to the apartment, news of the cremation, the impact? Going to the house, meeting the father’s second wife, his prayers with the ashes, her vicious denunciation, taking the ashes, leaping away, through the water, back home? Her decision to go to the beach, which Mariko had liked, trip, buses and train, reading Mariko’s letters, the bag snatcher, the encounter with the kind man, the money, drinking, sleeping the boat, the encounter with the man again, suicidal, the bag snatcher pursuing the woman, her hitting him with the ashes, is three floating away, her injury, hospital, crutches, the man again and his kindness, the letter from the rescued woman, back to work, her boss demanding she continue to work? And finding the letters – from the woman? From the man? The future?
5. Mariko’s story, her cruel father, abusive, sexually abusive, the effect? Her mother, exasperated, leaving? The impact of the flashbacks, Mariko at different stages of life, the physical bruises? The friendship with Shiino, at school, company, support, their friendship, the consolations, Mariko and her mental state, cutting her wrists, out with boys, liking one and his insulting her, continually confiding in Shiino, dependence on her, happy that Shiino accepted her? Her killing herself?
6. The young men, on the road, helping Shiino, giving her the money, going fishing, discovering her on the boat, giving her food, on the cliff, saving her, his reappearance, the story of his attempted suicide, a nice and good man?
7. The glimpse of Mariko’s father, the stories about him, seeing him praying with her ashes, Is Vicious response to Mariko? His new wife, her exasperation, leaving him?
8. This film for Japanese society, especially for domestic abuse, father’s abusing daughters, mental states, suicide? And consolations of friendship?