The Story of Love and Resilience in the Bathhouse of Happiness

By / MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team, compiled and reported

"The Bathhouse of Happiness" is directed by rising filmmaker Ryota Nakano. His debut feature film, "Take This One, Dad," received widespread acclaim at the Berlin Film Festival and numerous other domestic and international film festivals. With "The Bathhouse of Happiness," he won the Gold Prize at the KINENOTE New Directors Award. The film also boasts an all-star cast spanning three generations, featuring acclaimed actors. Notably, actress Sayuri Yoshinaga, who has won Best Actress at the Japan Academy Awards, Hochi Film Awards, and Blue Ribbon Awards, takes on the role of a bathhouse owner wielding a floor brush. She portrays a selfless, strong yet gentle mother.

The Saeno family once ran a traditional Japanese bathhouse called "Sai no Yu." However, the family’s patriarch, the father (played by Masahiro Motoki), suddenly left home a year ago with a woman he met at a hotel, forcing the bathhouse to shut down. The mother, Futaba (played by Sayuri Yoshinaga), is cheerful and resilient, raising her daughter while working various part-time jobs.

But one day, Futaba suddenly learns that her time is running out. She first hires a private detective to track down her runaway, good-for-nothing husband, only to have him return with a daughter he had outside their marriage. What was once a family of three suddenly becomes a family of four, and they decide to reopen the bathhouse. Futaba then sets out to help her daughter, who is constantly bullied at school, become strong and independent, and fulfill the long-awaited dream of taking the whole family on a trip to eat snow crabs...

As the mother takes action, family secrets come to light one by one. Through conflict, the family grows closer. They decide to accompany the mother on her final journey with joy and love... Although it's a traditional family drama, the ending is unexpectedly moving, blending tears and vitality into a work full of wonder and emotion.