Does Your Soul Have a Cold? (2007)

Director:

Mike Mills

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

By following the lives of five Japanese individuals this documentary explores the problem of depression...

Cast

Hiyaso Hayashiguchi	...	Herself - Taketoshi's Mother
Taketoshi Hayashiguchi	...	Himself
Michiko Ishikawa	...	Herself - Mika's Mother
Mika Ishikawa	...	Herself
Toshiyuki Machisuka	...	Himself
Hiroshi Mikami	...	Himself
Ken Mitsumoto	...	Himself
Maki Miyata	...	Herself
Daisuke Takahashi	...	Himself
Kayoko Yamagishi	...	Herself

Runtime:

USA:82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color (HD)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:TV-MA

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Rainbow Media

Movie Connections:

References Das Experiment (2001)

Soundtrack:

You're Driving Me Crazy

Good topic, somewhat amateurish production

"Does Your Soul Have a Cold?" is ultimately about the introduction of pharmaceuticals in Japan and the way depression is viewed "today" versus several generations ago. It also is an interesting portrayal of Japanese cultural differences and values placed on quality of life.

The documentary does have flaws. Many typos/grammar errors in the subtitles and title cards stand out which makes the documentary appear amateurish. The editing could have been tighter. The choice to keep a shot where children are attempting to disrupt the filming of the documentary seems out of place, especially since the subjects talk to someone off-camera and don't look directly into the camera. The kids jumping up into the shot looking into the camera is jarring and in a documentary of such an intimate nature, this shot and the interruption it caused seemed inappropriate.

Visually the documentary is cleverly shot and captures what I believe the director was attempting to show. The men and women which are the subjects of the documentary are interesting and diverse. The selection of several personality types and their approaches to their illness was educational.

The subjects themselves are intriguing, as all of them live a different type of life. Some live on their own, others at home. Some are employed and others aren't. Some have the support of family and others are alone. Some are in therapy and some are not.

Overall, the subject matter is good, but the documentary production itself could have been executed better. Check spelling and grammar before distribution, people.