ONLINE EVENT - The Japan Society Film Club: The Family Game directed by Yoshimitsu Morita

Date
Wednesday 4 November 2026
Time
6.30pm (BST)
For countries outside the UK, please use this calculator to check the time in your region.

Booking Details
Online meeting on Zoom
Please register for the meeting in advance from the link below. After registering, you will receive an automated confirmation email with meeting access details (please check your spam folder if you don't receive any emails).

Free for members of The Japan Society

Please remember to watch the film in advance. The Family Game is available to rent and buy on Amazon Prime Video.

Please help us to keep this event free and open to all! The Japan Society is a charity and its activities are made possible thanks to the support of its members. If you are planning to attend this event and are not a member (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5. Thank you!

In our November film club, we will explore the satirical comedy directed by Yoshimitsu Morita, The Family Game (1983) which pokes fun at the stereotypical roles in a Japanese nuclear family.

The Family Game (『家族ゲーム』, Kazoku gēmu, 1983) follows the ordinary Numata family, who hire a tutor to improve the grades of their distracted youngest son. The tutor Yoshimoto has an unusual style of teaching that helps him form a genuine bond with the son and disrupt the shallow societal roles ingrained within the family. Through the characters of the neglectful salaryman father, the obedient but isolated mother, and the academic eldest son, the film criticises the "game" of keeping up appearances in a results-based society, highlighting the emptiness of these ideals through satirisation and dark, deadpan comedy.

Yoshimitsu Morita (1950-2011) was a Japanese film director and screenwriter known for his biting social satires and dark comedies, although he produced in many genres including intense crime thrillers, romances, and period melodramas. He explored themes of modern human connection, capturing the absurdity of daily life within his works. His international breakout was The Family Game (1983) which won him the New Directors Award from the Directors Guild of Japan, and was voted the picture of the year. Other awards include Best Director at the Yokohama Film Festival for Keiho (1999) and picture of the year for And Then (1985).