Experiencing Interruptions?

Wash Away

Kana, who works as a “soap girl,” gets a call from her mother one day. Her mother must stay at a hospital for a week, so she asks Kana to take care of her grandmother while she is away.

Unable to turn her mother down, Kana, who is hiding the fact that she is a sex worker, agrees to this. So now, she must juggle two jobs and live two lives: wash her grandmother’s body as a caretaker by day, and wash her customers’ bodies as a soap girl by night.

Kana had not seen her grandmother, Kie, in several years. Kie could not even remember Kana’s name because of her dementia. Kana struggles to care for her grandmother when they can barely make conversation. Every time Kana turns up at her grandmother’s house, they “meet for the first time.” Knowing that Kie will forget everything that happens, Kana starts telling Kie about her job as a sex worker and slowly finds joy in home care.

As the week goes by, the two grow closer, and Kana gets a glimpse into Kie’s life she never knew existed: a life as a passionate musician. Kana starts looking deep within herself and…

  • Ikunosuke Okazaki
    Director
    Encouragement of Euthanasia
  • Ikunosuke Okazaki
    Writer
    Encouragement of Euthanasia
  • Kentaro Kanbara
    Producer
  • Naoko Ken
    Key Cast
    "Grandmother Kie"
  • Yuuka Nakao
    Key Cast
    "Granddaughter Kana"
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Family, Soapgirl, dementia, nursing care
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 55 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    10,000,000 JPY
  • Country of Origin:
    Japan
  • Country of Filming:
    Japan
  • Language:
    Japanese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Osaka Asian Film Festival
    Osaka
    Japan
    March 1, 2024
    World premiere
    Indie forum Official selection
Distribution Information
  • Nakachika Pictures
    Distributor
    Country: Japan
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Ikunosuke Okazaki

Ikunosuke Okazaki: Direction / Writing / Planning / Editing
Film Director | Screenwriter | Stage Director | Actor
Born October 31, 1993 in Tokyo, Japan
Graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University

Ikunosuke Okazaki started studying acting at age 16 and made his acting debut at the age of 18. His acting credits include Isle of Dogs (dir. Wes Anderson), Dare to Stop Us (dir. Kazuya Shiraishi), and Summer Blooms (dir. Ryutaro Nakagawa). Afterwards, he backpacked around to world to 26 countries, enrolled in the training program at the National Theatre managed by the Japan Arts Council, and trained in acting at The Actors Studio in New York City. After studying as an assistant director and screenwriter in school, he decided to become a screenwriter, stage director, and film director, and began creating original works at the age of 25.

Not only did he write and direct the stage production, Naraku, but he also presents his works on YouTube and sometimes takes on the role of the performer while actively creating new works.
His directorial debut, Encouragement of Euthanasia, in which the main character goes on a three-day euthanasia tour in Okinawa, is planned to premiere in 2024.

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Director Statement

“The ‘sukebe stool’ that is used in soaplands to wash the groin area was actually invented as a home care tool.” This anecdote was what inspired me to make this film.

In making a film about what appears to be two polar opposites—a soap girl and an elderly grandmother who requires nursing care—I decided to interview my own grandmother. She has dementia, so she has forgotten who I am.

I made an appointment for 11:00 a.m. at the retirement home. However, when I woke up the next day, it was 12:00 p.m. I had neglected my grandmother, who was supposed to be important to me. I had blown off our meeting session as if she didn’t exist. I became upset with myself and greatly regretted what I had done.

Then, I remembered a documentary I saw about dementia that showed someone saying, “We do not yet know the medical cause of dementia. However, I personally believe the cause is loneliness.”

Dementia is considered to be a disease that makes the inflicted forget about other people.

Deep down somewhere, there was a part of me that thought this appointment with my grandmother wasn’t going to have much meaning since she doesn’t remember who I am. I know it sounds harsh, but that’s what I thought. But I was wrong. The elderly forget about their families because their families forget about them first. Their loved ones only care for them when they’re in the same room, but forget about them as soon as they step out of the retirement home. A soap girl is loved when a customer is there, but forgotten once they leave the room.

“To wash someone.” That’s what home care and soap girls have in common. This is a story about people in the two different industries, their inner conflicts and personal relationships.