Reading and Watching "Suddenly Feeling Unwell"
One day in late May.
The news on TV reported, "Tao Okamoto becomes the first Japanese person to win Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival."
It was announced that Tao Okamoto and Virginie Efira were both chosen as Best Actress for their lead roles in the film "Suddenly Feeling Unwell."
At the press conference after the awards ceremony, Tao Okamoto expressed her joy, saying, "I wondered how it would be possible to act out two women having a strong connection and exchanging something with their souls in a film, but the moment I met Virginie, I felt my anxiety melting away. I was supported by her on set, and I am very happy that we were evaluated and received this award as a pair."
While I was impressed that they were chosen for Best Actress, I had a simple question: what does it mean to be "very happy to be evaluated as a pair"?
The title "Suddenly Feeling Unwell" also piqued my interest.
I immediately ordered the original book on Amazon.
"Suddenly Feeling Unwell" is a collection of correspondence between philosopher Makiko Miyano and anthropologist Maho Isono.
The title comes directly from the words "(You might) suddenly feel unwell," which were said to Miyano, who was battling cancer, by her doctor.
When she was diagnosed with cancer, Miyano thought, "(As a philosopher) I will see it all through to the end."
She proposed the correspondence to Isono out of an academic ambition to deeply explore the issues of "uncertainty" and "risk" in her own life with cancer, together with Isono, an anthropologist familiar with clinical settings.
Before I knew it, it had ultimately become a document about life and death, and a story of encounters with people living through it together.
Or perhaps it could be rephrased as a record of words born from a philosopher facing illness, supported by an "anthropologist of the soul."
The 20 letters were exchanged during the three months before Miyano passed away at the young age of 42.
In them, the fluctuations of a woman's heart facing death are written in calm prose.
Told indirectly by her doctor that "you might suddenly feel unwell," Miyano realized she could not escape death.
My life is being subdivided more and more by risks and possibilities. Moreover, because there are so many risks surrounding illness and medication, I feel that the negative possibilities occupy the majority of my life's possibilities, and the possibility of nothing happening and "living normally" feels like it has become very small.
Isono encourages Miyano when she feels weak.
The bond between their souls deepens as they exchange words.
Although it sometimes took time to understand the philosophical thinking, I was drawn deeply into their exchange.
Building a relationship is not about shaking hands and standing still, or about accepting one another; it is about passing through the world together while continuing to draw lines in motion, and in that movement, finding words and gestures that are comfortable for each other, and using those as footprints to take the next step. Isn't it a movement accompanied by such perception?
(Omitted)
If a person does not let go of the movement to try to generate something with others toward the future, humans can continue to draw such beautiful lines.
I feel that when we feel connected to the lines drawn in that way, we can receive the strength to live.
People meeting and connecting.
It is a great strength in life to continue drawing lines not alone, but together with someone else.
Miyano continued to draw lines with Isono until just before she left this world.
I was quietly moved by her way of life and the deep bond between Miyano and Isono.
This book also made me realize many things as a doctor.
Modern medicine is thorough in "support that respects the patient's will based on correct information."
We convey general "correct information" and have the patient choose their treatment.
From the patient's perspective, "correct information" does not necessarily apply to them directly.
Miyano felt that "choosing is hard, and deciding is tiring" as she was forced to make choices in various situations.
The reality is that the medical side, fearing lawsuits, entrusts choices to the patient, and the patient suffers from "decision fatigue."
I realized that making patients choose at every turn is not always the best approach.
I am grateful that my perspective as a doctor has broadened once again.
While the lingering impression of the original work remained, I went to see the movie in late June.
This film is directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who also worked on "Drive My Car."
The setting is Paris, France.
The protagonists are Mari, a philosopher who is now a stage director, and Marie-Lou, an anthropologist who currently works at a nursing care facility.
Although the setting differs significantly from the original work, the fundamental aspect of two women connecting their souls through dialogue remains unchanged.
This also depicts the two deepening their emotional bond through conversation and physical touch, and I was surprised that even with a setting so far removed from the original, the soul-deep bond created by Miyano-san and Isono-san was properly expressed.
The conversation between the two, who can speak both Japanese and French, mixed with both languages, is also pleasant.
It was a work that made me feel the high level of Director Hamaguchi's skill, as it also wove in social messages such as "coexistence with people with disabilities," "coexistence with dementia through Humanitude," and "the merits and demerits of capitalism."
My impressions after reading and watching "Suddenly Feeling Unwell."
It was precisely because I knew the original work that I could understand the brilliance of the movie, and I was able to enjoy it twice.
The precious bond of souls built by two women through the themes of "illness and death."
It is wonderful that even after leaving this world, one can continue to live on in the hearts of those left behind.
For people to "live" and deepen their bonds, perhaps what is needed is not the inorganic exchanges of social media that dominate the modern era, but essential communication skills like conversation and physical touch.
I felt as if a warm fire had been lit in my heart by the warmth of human activity that AI does not possess.
For those interested, I recommend reading the original work before watching the movie.
