Milk Lady

Sachiko Miyase

Japon / 2025 / Fiction / 19’44”I2603269

BO MP Visionner Images

SYNOPSIS

[EN] Akemi, in her fifties, has been working at a small, family-owned company as a milk delivery for over thirty years in a rural area of Japan. Her coworker, Tomoko, also in her fifties, has also been working at the same company as an accountant. Both of them ended up working there due to the lack of job opportunities available to women in 1980 when they graduated from college. Mai is a new employee at the company. She was recently relocated from Tokyo following her husband's job transfer. Mai is often criticised for her work attitude by the branch manager, Kenta who is a typical nepo and frequently undermines her. Her regret over leaving her career and relocating grows stronger day by day. Seeing Mai struggle reminds Akemi of how unfair this society is structured for women reflecting on her own experience. It is painful for her to see that the younger generation like Mai is still facing the same problems she did when she was younger. Practicing Judo at a local sports center is part of Akemi's after-work routine and it helps her release stress. Group lessons are not enough for Akemi who is a blackbelt holder and she always continues practicing after everyone else has left. One day, a new manager is assigned to the company after Kenta suddenly disappears. No information is shared about his whereabouts, however it seems Akemi knows something about his disappearance.

GÉNÉRIQUE