Kiri no Hata

Yanagida Kiriko (Horikita Maki) works at a food processing factory in Kita Kyushu as she lives a modest life with her intellectually disabled younger brother, Masao (Furuhata Niino). When work at the factory ends, she declines invitations from her colleagues, and waits for half-price at the supermarket so that she can buy Masao’s favourite squid rings. Then she heads straight home where her brother is waiting. Masao stuffs squid rings into his mouth with child-like delight as Kiriko fondly gazes at his smile. The next day, Masao is overjoyed to get his salary. On the way home, Kikue who is seeing off a young man from a house nearby, spots Masao counting the notes inside an envelope. She has an uncomfortable smile on her face when she jams 10,000 yen into his pay packet and asks if he can keep quiet about this. His hand is taken by Kikue and placed on her chest. A shaken Masao is left speechless. Hearing that he had accepted 10,000 yen from Kikue, Kiriko admonishes him. He is not supposed to take money from other people for no reason. Kiriko is about to go and return it, but Masao says he will go alone tomorrow. The next day, Masao visits Kikue’s home. His heart unexpectedly races as he recalls her behaviour yesterday. However, Kikue has been murdered by someone and Masao is detained as a suspect. Getting word of this, Kiriko desperately asserts, “My brother is different from an ordinary person!” But the police officers do not listen to her. On the other hand, Masao trembles in the interrogation and is not able to give an answer. If this goes on, he could end up becoming the murderer. A fretful Kiriko is reminded of the activities of the famous lawyer Otsuka Kinzo (Shiina Kippei) whom she had seen in the news and goes to Tokyo on her own. She pounds on the door of Otsuka’s law firm. Otsuka, who has been extremely busy, is exhausted. He has cleared a big court case and is going on a holiday with his lover, Kouno Michiko (Kimura Yoshino). That is when Kiriko comes to visit. “Can you help my brother? Please!” Otsuka seems moved by Kiriko’s emotional appeal, but Michiko has already come to get him. When he snubs Kiriko, telling her that his fees will go up in price even for cases in faraway places. She concludes, “I see, so you won’t help the poor” and leaves. Bile rises up in Otsuka … … Returning home Kiriko scrambles about for Masao’s sake, but he is sentenced to life in prison at the trial. Even so, Kiriko tries to save him. However, her brother dies of heat stroke while in prison. The abysmal conditions of the cell resulted in his death. Kiriko does not even shed tears in front of Masao’s dead body. She feels an emotion seething within her and vows revenge on Otsuka.

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