Restraint ◆ Watching Films to Relieve Stress

The Chunichi Shimbun Morning Edition, April 7, 2006

“A sound mind in a sound body.”

This well-known phrase, often attributed to Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games, actually comes from a line in an ancient Roman poem. However, the reality is that even those with healthy bodies can suffer from mental illness. And when the mind is afflicted, the body often shows signs of distress as well. Simply strengthening the body does not guarantee mental well-being.

Today in Japan, more than six out of ten people live with daily stress. Nearly one in four feel they “don’t sleep well at night,” and more than one in five have experienced insomnia. We might well call this the “age of universal stress.”

I have been involved in caring for people with mental health issues for thirty years. After working in a psychiatric hospital for twenty-five years, I now focus on the mental health of university students.

I remember one particular screening held at a psychiatric hospital, where we showed one of Yōji Yamada’s Tora-san films (Otoko wa Tsurai yo). A nurse, her eyes brimming with tears, stood out in my memory.

As you may know, the Tora-san series follows the misadventures of a free-spirited man named Torajirō Kuruma. While the films are filled with laughter, they poignantly depict the ease and instability of a man without steady employment. His lifestyle contrasts sharply with that of today’s people, burdened by the stress of jobs and schools.

Even when he returns home, Tora-san ends up arguing with family and setting off on yet another aimless journey. “You’d be better off without me,” he mutters, disappearing once more into the unknown. Many Japanese find themselves laughing heartily at Tora-san, feeling refreshed—and then stepping out of the theater, ready to return to the demands of everyday life. That nurse with tears in her eyes was likely one such person, healed in her own way by the film.

Personally, I believe that movies are the best remedy for stress. From the ages of four to nine, I spent nearly every day sneaking into the local movie theater. That theater eventually burned down, and the only other one in our rural town quietly disappeared as televisions entered homes. The loss of movie theaters—once community hubs and places for adults to relax—was symbolic of the growing isolation among people.

In this column, I will explore the healing power of cinema.