Ippo Ippo
Filmmaker: Shotaro Wake
Year of production: 2010
Location: Japan
Duration: 47 minutes.
Sound: mono
Language: Japanese
English Subtitles
Marsha is a middle-aged Japanese housewife. Her husband is mostly occupied by his passion – a hobby of playing tennis. But Marsha too has interests of her own: she is planning to participate for the first time in the event of climbing Mt. Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan. It is a big challenge especially for her as her physical condition would deem it otherwise risky. Following the process of the event at Marsha’s own pace, Ippo Ippo (step by step), she pulls us along to live every moment of this special journey with her.
The film raises a question about quality of life: many of us live in a fast paced, task oriented, restless urban life. What does it mean to live life meaningfully?
Copyright: 2010 Visual Cultural Studies, University of Tromsø
