What a Wonderful Family! (2016 Film)
What a Wonderful Family! (Japanese: Kazoku wa Tsurai yo) is a 2016 Japanese comedy-drama film directed by Yoji Yamada. The screenplay was co-written by Yamada and Emiko Hiramatsu. The film, produced by Hiroshi Fukasawa and distributed by Shochiku, was released in Japan on March 12, 2016, with a runtime of 108 minutes.
Plot
The story centers on a couple, Shuzo and Tomiko Hirata, who have been married for 50 years. When Shuzo asks his wife what she would like for her birthday, she unexpectedly requests a divorce. This announcement disrupts the lives of the entire family, leading to a series of comedic and dramatic complications.
Production
Principal photography for the film commenced on September 19, 2014, and concluded in late November 2014. The film was featured in the "Japan Now" section of the 28th Tokyo International Film Festival in October 2015.
Cast
The film features an ensemble cast including:
- Isao Hashizume as Shuzo Hirata
- Kazuko Yoshiyuki as Tomiko Hirata
- Masahiko Nishimura as Konosuke Hirata
- Yui Natsukawa as Fumie Hirata
- Shozo Hayashiya as Taizo Kanai
- Tomoko Nakajima as Shigeko Kanai
- Satoshi Tsumabuki as Shota Hirata
- Yu Aoi as Noriko Mamiya
Series
The film spawned two sequels, forming a trilogy:
- What a Wonderful Family! 2 (2017)
- What a Wonderful Family! 3: My Wife, My Life (2018)