About

‘The anti-hero of Miwa Nishikawa's Dear Doctor is Ino, a country doctor with the kind of face you can’t help but love. With his happy squint, bad-glasses and crinkly features, Doc Ino has the kind of look that inspires trust. But his good vibes are something of a mask... or perhaps it’s a charade, because Ino’s medicine leaves a lot to be desired.

When he becomes emotionally involved with the widow Kazuko, suffering from chronic stomach pains that point to a condition that’s deadly and urgent, Ino spends his nights swotting over medical books. Soma, his young intern, a visitor from the city, finds Ino’s personal style inspiring; but he begins to suspect something’s amiss.

Dear Doctor explores the old and unflattering adage that people have a tendency to hide behind a job. It’s an intriguing paradox that throws the characters here into much soul-searching and self-examination. Still, the movie is far from being a dour piece; it’s often very funny, in a deadpan kind of way, and very moving.’ SBS Movies