The Human Promise (Ningen no yakusoku)

Yoshida returned to feature filmmaking after a hiatus of thirteen years with this brave and moving film about the struggle to maintain dignity in the face of old age and approaching death. The Human Promise reaffirms Yoshida's ability to deal with difficult and even taboo topics by exploring the question of euthanasia with a profound sensitivity and subtlety. The film's unusually frank meditation on death is anchored by the restrained performances by its veteran actors, including Rentaro Mikni, who starred in several of Yoshida's earlier works, including A Story Written on Water. The Human Promise's use of water imagery enriches a motif central to the rich ambiguity at the heart of Yoshida's cinema.