39/36
A repressed matriarch and, unfortunately, extraordinary circumstances—a disturbing earthquake, crushing debt, a dying ex-husband, a raging co-worker, and her son’s girlfriend—bring her to the brink. “Hamon” is a standard Japanese word that literally means “ripple,” and metaphorically, the influence each of us has on others. This is emphasized several times in this film, with scenes where the leaders—wife, husband, son, etc.—stand in a shallow pond, while the ripples that one character makes expand in a regular circle to reach the others. An interesting enough visualization of interpersonal relationships, but nothing that couldn’t be applied to any film involving people. Or, really, any living organism. The arc of the film follows the suffering of a Japanese housewife who must survive the sudden disappearance of her husband, the death of his father, his escape, and the an only son to university, and then a career as far as one can travel without leaving Japan (well, except Okinawa), and then the aforementioned prodigal husband reappears. Among other things. There’s a fair amount of humor, a fair amount of shoes, a few awkward scenes with the deaf fiancée the son brings home without any prior notice. I think it was worth watching even before the final scene, which was surprising, exciting, invigorating, actually quite wonderful. Ole!