Part 4: Asian Cinema — Japan, Korea & Beyond
Content Warning: This post discusses suicide as depicted in Asian cinema. Japan and South Korea have among the highest suicide rates in the developed world. If you are struggling: Japan: Tell 0570-783-556 | South Korea: 1393 | India: iCall 9152987821 | International: befrienders.org
Asia has a complex relationship with suicide. In Japan, suicide has historical roots in concepts like seppuku (ritual suicide) and kamikaze. In South Korea, rapid industrialization and intense social pressure have created a suicide crisis. These cultural contexts make Asian films about suicide uniquely powerful — and uniquely challenging.
1. A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) (2016)
Director: Naoko Yamada Studio: Kyoto Animation Genre: Anime Drama IMDB: 8.9/10
The Story
Shoya Ishida is a former bully who tormented Shoko Nishimiya, a deaf girl, in elementary school. When his actions are exposed, Shoya becomes the target of bullying himself. Years later, consumed by guilt and self-hatred, Shoya plans to end his life — but first, he seeks out Shoko to apologize. What follows is a story of redemption, forgiveness, and the slow, painful work of learning to live again.
Why It Matters
A Silent Voice is widely regarded as one of the greatest anime films ever made. It tackles bullying, disability, social anxiety, and suicidal ideation with a level of emotional depth that rivals any live-action film. It proves that animation can address the most serious human subjects without losing any of their weight.
The Portrayal
The film handles suicide and suicidal ideation with extraordinary care:
- Shoya's suicide plan: He has saved money for his mother, settles his debts, and plans to jump from a bridge. The scene is shown matter-of-factly — not dramatized, but presented as the logical conclusion of years of self-hatred.
- Shoko's suicide attempt: In the film's most devastating scene, Shoko — overwhelmed by guilt for "ruining" Shoya's life — jumps from her apartment balcony. Shoya catches her but falls himself, ending up in a coma.
- Social anxiety: Shoya's inability to look people in the eye (shown as giant "X" marks over their faces) is one of the most accurate depictions of social anxiety in any medium.
Cultural Context
Japan has one of the highest suicide rates among developed nations. The film directly addresses the cultural factors that contribute to this: the shame of being different, the pressure to conform, and the devastating impact of bullying (ijime) in Japanese schools.
2. Suicide Club (Jisatsu Sākuru) (2001)
Director: Sion Sono Starring: Ryo Ishibashi, Masatoshi Nagase Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller IMDB: 6.5/10
The Story
The film opens with one of the most shocking scenes in cinema: 54 high school girls line up on a Tokyo subway platform and jump in front of a train in unison, smiling. A wave of copycat suicides sweeps across Japan. Detective Kuroda investigates, uncovering a mysterious website that seems to predict the suicides before they happen.
Why It Matters
Suicide Club is a cult horror film that uses the spectacle of mass suicide to explore Japanese pop culture, conformity, and the disconnect of modern life. It's not a traditional suicide drama — it's a satirical horror film that asks: why are young people so disconnected from their own lives that they can smile while dying?
The Portrayal
The film is deliberately provocative and surreal:
- Mass suicide as spectacle: The opening scene is designed to shock — and it does. But the shock serves a purpose: it forces the audience to confront the reality of Japan's suicide epidemic.
- The "suicide website": A precursor to real-world concerns about online suicide pacts and pro-suicide communities.
- Pop culture as poison: The film suggests that Japan's obsession with pop music, internet culture, and surface-level connection has created a generation that is alive but not living.
Controversy
The film was controversial for its graphic depiction of mass suicide, particularly involving minors. However, it has been defended as a satirical critique of Japanese society's failure to address the root causes of its suicide crisis.
3. Shoplifters (Manbiki Kazoku) (2018)
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Starring: Lily Franky, Sakura Andō, Mayu Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki Genre: Drama IMDB: 7.9/10
The Story
A family of small-time thieves in Tokyo takes in an abused child they find on the street. As they struggle to survive on the margins of Japanese society, the film slowly reveals the secrets, trauma, and desperation that bind them together — and the devastating choices they've made.
Why It Matters
Shoplifters won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2018. While not explicitly about suicide, it addresses the conditions that lead to suicidal despair: poverty, abuse, abandonment, and the failure of social systems.
The Portrayal
- The grandmother's death: She dies and the family buries her in the garden to continue collecting her pension. This isn't presented as criminal but as survival — the system has failed them so completely that death is just another logistical problem.
- The child abuse: The little girl Yuri has cigarette burns on her arms. Her parents' neglect is shown as a form of slow suicide — the destruction of a child's will to live.
- Invisible people: The family members are largely invisible to Japanese society — no records, no identities, no safety net. The film asks: what happens to people the system forgets?
4. Decision to Leave (Heeojil Gyeolsim) (2022)
Director: Park Chan-wook Starring: Park Hae-il, Tang Wei Genre: Mystery Romance IMDB: 7.2/10
The Story
Detective Hae-jun investigates the death of a man who fell from a mountain peak. Was it suicide or murder? He becomes fascinated with the dead man's wife, Seo-rae (Tang Wei), a Chinese immigrant. As the investigation deepens, so does their dangerous attraction — and the line between truth and desire blurs.
Why It Matters
Park Chan-wook's (Oldboy, The Handmaiden) latest film uses suicide as a mystery — but it's really a film about loneliness, obsession, and the lengths people go to escape their lives. It won Best Director at Cannes 2022.
The Portrayal
- The mountain death: The investigation into whether the man jumped or was pushed drives the entire plot.
- Seo-rae's past: She is trapped in a loveless marriage, isolated by language and culture, and has contemplated suicide herself.
- The detective's obsession: Hae-jun's insomnia and emotional numbness suggest a man who is slowly dying inside even as he solves deaths.
The film treats suicide not as a shocking event but as a quiet, pervasive presence — the background hum of people who have lost their reason to live.
5. The Forest of Love (2019)
Director: Sion Sono Starring: Kippei Shiina, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Kyoko Hinami Genre: Crime Drama IMDB: 6.5/10
The Story
Based on real events, the film follows a con artist who infiltrates a group of young filmmakers and manipulates them into increasingly dangerous situations, culminating in violence and death. It's a sprawling, excessive film about manipulation, obsession, and the destruction of young lives.
Why It Matters
Sion Sono (who also directed Suicide Club) returns to themes of youth suicide and manipulation. The film is based on the real-life case of a con man who manipulated young people into suicide pacts.
The Portrayal
The film is deliberately excessive and uncomfortable. It shows how charismatic predators can exploit vulnerable young people's despair, turning their suicidal thoughts into weapons of control.
Asian Cinema's Unique Perspective
| Film | Country | Year | Suicide Type | Cultural Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Silent Voice | Japan | 2016 | Ideation, attempt | Bullying, disability |
| Suicide Club | Japan | 2001 | Mass suicide | Conformity, pop culture |
| Shoplifters | Japan | 2018 | Indirect | Poverty, invisibility |
| Decision to Leave | South Korea | 2022 | Possible murder/suicide | Loneliness, obsession |
| The Forest of Love | Japan | 2019 | Manipulated suicide | Predator-victim dynamics |
What Asian Cinema Teaches Us
- Conformity can kill: In cultures that value the group over the individual, being different can feel like a death sentence.
- The digital age has created new risks: Online suicide pacts, pro-suicide communities, and the pressure of social media are uniquely modern threats.
- Animation is a legitimate medium for serious subjects: A Silent Voice proves that anime can handle suicide with more depth than most live-action films.
- Systemic failures drive suicide: Poverty, abuse, and institutional neglect are not individual problems — they are societal ones.
What's Next?
In Part 5, we explore the streaming revolution — how web series like 13 Reasons Why, BoJack Horseman, After Life, and Euphoria have transformed the conversation about suicide on screen.
Next Part: Web Series — Netflix, HBO & the Streaming Revolution →
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