Symptom X

At the "Ijinzaka Clinic" day service, a revolutionary treatment devised by Director Urushihara is secretly spreading among the elderly. Aiming for the ultimate cost-effective care, the amputation of "Disusebody" (limbs with no hope of recovery) has reportedly led to unexpected positive side effects, such as patients feeling "lighter in body and mind" or "developing a gentler personality." Yagura, an editor who hears these rumors, senses a potential revolution in geriatric medicine and proposes a book deal to Urushihara. However, an internal whistleblower leak about the daycare center soon surfaces in a weekly magazine. Following a shocking incident at a patient's home, everything begins to spiral into darkness.

The story takes place in a new residential area in the outskirts of Tokyo. A family photograph adorns the living room of the Hashimoto family. It is a heartwarming shot of the three family members from when they first moved here, finally having bought their own home that they had wanted for so long. Wife Michiko hangs the laundry everyday. Husband Ken-ichi leaves for work without a word. Son Hiroaki has a part-time job, returns home early and disappears into his room. The Hashimoto Family no longer eats meal together at the dining table or spends time together in the living room. Michiko yearns for a different relationship with her family and is gradually overcome by loneliness. While feeling pressured from the trifling matters that occur within the residential community, Michiko tries to fill the emptiness that she hides in her heart.

Aoi is a young nursery school teacher whose fiancé leaves her. Her friend Michiko works in a call centre and has ‘lots of free time, but little freedom’. She no longer interacts with her husband, aside from the occasional sad blow job. Then there’s her attractive tennis teacher Masaki, with whom she’s having an affair that’s conducted when they’re pulled up in parking lots. And finally there’s his friend K., a self-proclaimed genius with authoritarian tendencies.

Omnibus by three young directors in the spotlight of Japan’s independent film industry, dealing with the theme of “lost virginity.” Yoshida Koki, whose film {Household X} was an official selection for the Berlin International Film Festival’s Forum, depicts a woman in her thirties losing her virginity. Kazuyo (Masaki Sawa) is a 35-year-old pharmacist living quietly on her own. One day, her interest is piqued by the pseudo-sexual harassment approach of Ryo (Yanagi Shuntaro), a high school youth, and her body gets a taste of sexual desire.

Sex worker Hatsue is having an affair with a married man named Yoshinori, whom she first met as a client. He feels oppressed by his life with his wife and his secret trysts with Hatsue bring him peace of mind.

Child welfare services take Hiiro away from her parents when they suspect she's being abused. This is a film about family bonds, focusing on society's underbelly through issues like neglect and child abuse.