'Somebody's Flowers' explores Japan's growing dementia struggle

Yusuke Okuda's new film asks viewers to search for hope among tragedy

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Shinsuke Kato, left, and Ryusei Ota, who star in director Yusuke Okuda's new film "Somebody's Flowers," a deep dive into feelings of grief, anger, and fear set against a normally uneventful Japanese suburban landscape.

ALICE FRENCH, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- Japanese director Yusuke Okuda is matter-of-fact about wanting his second feature film "Somebody's Flowers" to appeal to viewers' inner sense of tragedy. "We all have some kind of tragedy inside of us," Okuda told Nikkei Asia ahead of the film's commercial release on Saturday. "We're born with it."

The film revolves around a freak suburban accident. One very windy day in Tokyo, a man is killed walking into his apartment complex by a falling plant pot, sparking an investigation: was it pushed, or did it just fall?

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