Thicker Than Water + Q&A 18

This gripping drama exposes the turbulent relationships between two pairs of siblings as they grapple with one another like cats and dogs - or to be more faithful to the original Japanese title - like ‘dogs and monkeys’.

Kazunari (Masataka Kubota) has his life as an upstanding office worker thrown into turmoil when his violent ex-con brother (Hirofumi Arai) unexpectedly shows up on his doorstep. Meanwhile, Yuria (Keiko Enoue), a woman portrayed as reliable but conventionally unattractive, juggles the responsibility of running the family print shop with taking care of her ailing father. Her younger sister Mako (Miwako Kakei) is the complete antithesis; charming and ditzy, she flouts all duties in favour of flirtations and impressing on everyone her status as a ‘high-profile’ actress. Entertainingly intersecting at various points, the two narratives delineate the rising tensions among the siblings which are soon ready to boil over.

The latest offering from Himeanole director Keisuke Yoshidashines an entertaining and insightful light onto the perpetual tension between sibling rivalry and filial love.

This screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Keisuke Yoshida.