Happy Life

After the sudden death of their mother, the Sakuma family’s life falls apart. Father Kensuke sinks into depression, loses his job, and spends his days apathetically in the futon, while the family threatens to slip into poverty. The responsibility now rests on the shoulders of his eldest daughter Kiki, a teenage student. Between school, looking after her younger siblings, and small odd jobs, she tries to hold the family together and get through everyday life with dignity. Despite their hardship, Kiki shows remarkable resilience: she rejects shady offers from her friend Miyu as well as easy money through questionable means. Instead, she holds on to her honesty. An unexpected encounter with her former teacher Kozuma opens up new possibilities, but Kiki walks a fine line between pride and the necessity of accepting help.

Yoshihiko Taniguchi’s film premiered at the Japanese independent film festival Skip City, where it received two awards (Skip City Award and Special Jury Prize). After several works as a producer and screenwriter, this is his first film as a director, also based on his own screenplay. Outstanding is the casting of daughter Kiki: it is the debut role for young Chiyuri Nishiguchi, and we are certain that we will be seeing more of her in the future.