Plan 75 follows the lives of three disparate souls in an imagined near-future Japan, drawn together by a new programme offering assisted dying to those over 75.
Septuagenarian Michi (Chieko Baishô) considers joining the programme and planning the end of her life; the young Himoru (Hayato Isomura) becomes a clerk enrolling potential candidates; and care worker Maria (Stefanie Arianne) becomes an employee of the programme to provide for her family.
As the lives of the three intertwine, Plan 75 explores what it means to be alive, and interrogates how society treats its elderly.
An extraordinary debut from director Chie Hayakawa, Plan 75 was selected as Japan’s official submission for this year’s Academy Awards.
Using a science-fiction-like scenario to comment on the present, and particularly Japanese anxieties about a growing elderly population, this is a moving and intelligent exploration of issues of euthanasia, how life is valued, and societal intolerance.
This special Dead Good Film Club screening is followed by a panel discussion, hosted by Neil Fox from The Cinematologists podcast. Guests include Dr Mark Lee, Consultant Specialist in Palliative Care; Emma Satchell, Chaplain and End of Life Planner at Dying to Help, and Kate Owens-Palmer from Humanists UK, who are campaigning for Assisted Dying in the UK.
The Dead Good Film Club host screenings and events about death and dying to encourage conversations around topics often considered taboo. Expect great films, fascinating discussions and revealing insights from people working in areas as diverse as health care, undertaking, public services and the creative communities.
Curated by Newcastle-based producer and funeral leader Andy Jones, the Dead Good Film Club was devised in partnership with Newcastle’s ‘Death Positive Library’ and Tyneside Cinema.
