Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
The Weight of Secrecy
Individual characters are introduced navigating their daily lives while concealing personal struggles, habits, or emotional turmoil from a rigid society.
Key Events
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Prosecutor's Daily Burden — Prosecutor navigates professional duties while carrying personal worries.
Location: Prosecutor's Office
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Son's Isolation — The pubescent son remains shut-in, avoiding external interaction.
Location: Son's Room
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Paternal Worry — Prosecutor expresses deep concern over his son's shut-in lifestyle.
Location: Family Home
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Saleswoman's Routine — Introverted saleswoman manages work while concealing her peculiar habit.
Location: Sales Office
Converging Struggles
The isolated paths of the prosecutor, saleswoman, student, and son begin to intersect as they recognize shared experiences of hiding their abnormalities.
Key Events
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Saleswoman's Routine — Introverted saleswoman manages work while concealing her peculiar habit.
Location: Sales Office
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Habit Revealed — Her unique habit subtly hints at deeper personal struggles.
Location: Break Room
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Student's Turmoil — Student grapples with unexpressed feelings and academic pressure.
Location: School
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Suppressed Emotions — She hides her true emotions to conform to societal expectations.
Location: Classroom
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Societal Pressure — Characters confront a society lacking diversity and understanding.
Location: City Streets
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Hiding Abnormalities — All characters actively conceal their unique traits or struggles.
Location: Various Locations
Societal Friction
The group confronts the external pressure of a non-diverse society, leading to moments of vulnerability, mutual support, and internal conflict.
Key Events
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Hiding Abnormalities — All characters actively conceal their unique traits or struggles.
Location: Various Locations
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Converging Paths — Separate lives intersect through shared experiences of secrecy.
Location: Community Center
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Mutual Support Forms — Characters realize they are not alone in their hidden struggles.
Location: Community Center
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Confronting Norms — They begin to challenge rigid societal expectations.
Location: Public Square
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Prosecutor's Realization — Prosecutor shifts from worry to acceptance of his son's nature.
Location: Park
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Saleswoman's Acceptance — She embraces her peculiar habit as a source of personal strength.
Location: Rooftop
Embracing the Abnormal
Characters gradually accept their unique traits, challenge societal norms, and find strength in their shared vulnerability, culminating in a thematic resolution.
Key Events
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Saleswoman's Acceptance — She embraces her peculiar habit as a source of personal strength.
Location: Rooftop
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Student's Expression — Student finally channels hidden feelings into a creative outlet.
Location: Art Studio
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Son's Reintegration — Son begins stepping out of isolation, reconnecting with family.
Location: Living Room
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Collective Strength — The group stands united against external societal judgment.
Location: Community Center
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Redefining Normalcy — Characters embrace their abnormalities as valid forms of existence.
Location: City Streets
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Final Reflection — The film concludes on a hopeful note about diversity and acceptance.
Location: Sunset Overlook
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Theme Statement — Abnormality is reframed as a natural, acceptable part of human diversity.
Location: Narrative Space
Director Yoshiyuki Kishi and screenwriter Takehito Minato—the team behind acclaimed boxing epic Wilderness—reunite to adapt Ryo Asai's prize-winning novel. A sensitive drama about the aberrant in a society without regard for diversity, the story unites characters trying to hide abnormalities: a prosecutor who is worried that his pubescent son is a shut-in, an introverted saleswoman with a peculiar habit, and a student tortured by feelings she can’t express. In a world fill with abnormalities, what if it’s actually normal to be abnormal?
