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| Ayano Go and Kitagawa Keiko in Dr. Death no Isan |
Very thought provoking standalone movie (which somehow feels like part of a longer series) from 2020, dealing with the subject of the assisted suicide/dying with dignity debate. The film follows two detectives, Inukai Hayato (Go Ayano) and Takachiho Asuka (Kitagawa Keiko) when, following up on a regular death from cancer, hears from a child that the deceased was visited by a mysterious man just hours before his passing.
When interviewing the widow, she denies any foul play and says that her husband passed naturally from the cancer. But a seized video camera provides footage confirming the child's story: There WERE visitors beforehand, a snow-white haired doctor and silent nurse.
Faced with this proof, the widow comes clean. She was indeed visited by a Doctor and Nurse, but it was by her husband's own choosing. Wracked with pain and the misery of burdening his family with debt building up day after day, he sought to end it all, and thus called upon the man called Dr. Death, who arrived and, with mercy, gave him a lethal injection to put his tormented body to rest.
With further pordding, the wife says she made the call out to the legendary doctor via a website where those with terminal illnesses can make a plea for a visit from the Doctor and be put out of their pain.
Tracking down guests who have put in requests on the website, Inukai and Takachiho find no less than five other such mercy killings, and when they pay visits to the survivors, they only have gratitude for the mysterious doctor, and see him as a savior.
This is problematic for the duo as they see this "Doctor" as nothing more than a specialized serial killer, and the subject is particularly troubling for Detective Inukai, who himself has a young daughter battling a seemingly terminal illness. He would NEVER want his daughter to choose a suicidal death, and cannot imagine how the other families can live with themselves for letting their loved ones go in such a fashion.
Bedridden, weak and suffering, as time goes on and the guilt of financial burden builds up, even Iunkai's daughter wonders if it might be best for all is she were to take the 'easy" way out. And when Dr. Death hears of Inukai's daughter's possible request, it it more imperative than ever that the Detective duo catch him before he can contact his daughter! A psychological cat-and-mouse game begins...
This was really a great movie, and I really liked not just the story and its ideas, but the characters of Inukai and Takachicho. I mentioned earlier, but this fim seems like part of a series as the roles seem pretty well-established even from the very beginning, as if we're supposed to know who they are already.
Smart, quick thinking and totally cool, these we character you loved seeing in action, whether tracking down the killers or even just grousing at the bar about their personal problems.
Would LOVE to see more movies with these two!!!
