Ora, Ora Be Goin' Alone

Septuagenarian housewife, Momoko (TANAKA Yuko), has led a good life, having fled from the Japanese countryside to thriving Tokyo in the year of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and having married the love of her life with whom she raised two children. But after her plans of spending her golden years with her husband are dashed due to his sudden death, Momoko is forced to live alone. Mysterious figures and voices appear before her and liven up Momoko’s life, sometimes with song and dance.

Directing this adaptation of the Akutagawa Prize-winning novel, won by the author WAKATAKE Chisako at the age of 63, OKITA Shuichi (a previous guest speaker of this programme) explores what loneliness means in modern life, particularly for older people. In a thoroughly fun and charming style, he portrays the immeasurable positivity of a woman determined to live on and enjoy her old age.