The Milkwoman

(2005)

★ 6.9 IMDb · 9 votes

Genres: Drama

Year: 2005

Runtime: 127 мин

Country: Japan

Director: 緒方明

Cast: Юко Танака, Иттоку Кисибэ, 仁科亜季子, 上田耕一, Тэруюки Кагава, 左右田一平, 神津はづき, 田根楽子, 馬渕英俚可, 山田辰夫

Plot

Minako (TANAKA Yuko), begins her day running up and down the hills of her hometown delivering milk door to door. When that's done, she heads to her day job as a supermarket cashier. Minako is 50 and single. In one of the houses to which she delivers milk is a man with whom she has secretly been in love since high school. The man, Keita (KISHIBE Ittoku), lives with his wife Yoko, who is terminally ill. Caring for her at home, he works in the children's affairs section of the local municipal office. Though he insists that he wants nothing more than an "ordinary" existence, his life is in turmoil below the surface. The director uses a variety of narrative devises to portray the loneliness, isolation, and hope of these people who have seemingly allowed their goals and dreams to slip away, whilst keeping them agonizingly close to hand.