Although it ends on a note that appears upbeat, there is a bittersweet uncertainty to it; as always, Setsuko Hara conveys volumes with her strained smile. I really enjoyed Hara's voice-over narration, a technique that I often find problematic. The one thing that stood out for me was the way characters were constantly discussing matters of finance, as if the modern problem of unemployment was stifling true intimacy. This was more considerably more interesting than the domestic drama aspects.