The Milkwoman

The story

Minako (TANAKA Yuko), begins her day running up and down the hills of her hometown delivering milk door to door. When that's done, she heads to her day job as a supermarket cashier. Minako is 50 and single. In one of the houses to which she delivers milk is a man with whom she has secretly been in love since high school. The man, Keita (KISHIBE Ittoku), lives with his wife Yoko, who is terminally ill. Caring for her at home, he works in the children's affairs section of the local municipal office. Though he insists that he wants nothing more than an "ordinary" existence, his life is in turmoil below the surface. The director uses a variety of narrative devises to portray the loneliness, isolation, and hope of these people who have seemingly allowed their goals and dreams to slip away, whilst keeping them agonizingly close to hand.

Cast & crew

Yuko TanakaMinako Oba

Ittoku KishibeKaita Takanashi

Akiko NishinaYoko Takanashi

Koichi UedaMasao Minagawa

Teruyuki KagawaManager of Super Market

Ippei SoudaMilk Shop Owner

Hazuki Kōzu

Hazuki KōzuNurse Watanabe

Rakuko TaneKimiko Ito

Erika MabuchiMari Yoshida

Tatsuo YamadaYujiro Kawai

Yûrei YanagiManager of Child Guidance Center

Sawa SuzukiChiyo Oba