Comedy

Yudo: The Way of the Bath

湯道

Directed by: Masayuki Suzuki
2023 / 126 minutes / Unclassified all ages

The bathhouse: where dreams are steamed to perfection

In a room where everyone is famously stark naked, heat is bound to rise! Written by Kundō Koyama of Oscar-winning film Departures, Yudo: The Way of the Bath subtly humours the notable Japanese reverence to ritual. Centred around a provincial Showa-era bathhouse named ‘Marukin Hot Springs’, the film weaves between narratives of its eccentric customer base while its fate is determined by conflicting brothers in charge, Shirō (Tōma Ikuta) and Gorō (Gaku Hamada). From the prim and pretentious onsen critic to the retiring postman obsessed with perfecting his Zen bathing ritual, an amusing commentary on meaning is orchestrated amidst cultural upheaval and change.  

Boasting an impressive line of veteran actors including Akira Emoto (Shoplifters, Zatōichi), Susumu Terajima (Sonatine, Hana-bi, Violent Cop) and Masataka Kubota (13 Assassins, Rurouni Kenshin), Yudo: The Way of the Bath is a beautifully captured nostalgia trip to a past (or not-so-past) era. With charm emanating from every shot and available detail, this heart-warming film is a perfect entry into the quirks of discipline in Japanese culture.