Closed Ward aka Family of Strangers was released on DVD and Bluray on May 13. On top of the featured film (with Japanese subs and audio commentary for visually impaired people), it offers a 40′ long documentary with interviews of the main cast, supporting cast and of course Director Hideyuki Hirayama. The filming of this moving tale, set in the psychiatric ward of a hospital in the Nagano Prefecture, took 27 days.
You can get the DVD/BR from online stores such as Amazon Japan.
Plot (from Asian Wiki): Hidemaru Kajiki (Tsurube Shofukutei), Chu-san (Gou Ayano) and Yuki (Nana Komatsu) are patients at a psychiatric hospital in Komoro, Nagano Prefecture. Hidemaru Kajiki killed his mother and daughter-in-law. Chu-san used to work as a salaryman, but he suffers from auditory hallucinations. Yuki is a high school student and she refuses to go to school. Due to that, she receives outpatient treatment. Patients at the psychiatric hospital try to live brightly, but things suddenly change. A murder takes place at the hospital.
Nana Komatsu‘s solid and moving performance was met with praise from many critics. For this role she won the “Best Supporting Actress” at the 44th Hochi Film Awards and was nominated in the same category at the 62nd Blue Ribbon Awards and the 43rd Japan Academy Film Prize.
N.K. International 