Melancholic

Melancholic (2019)

メランコリック

Wash away your troubles, then rinse off the blood.

Kazuhiko, a graduate of a prestigious university, wasn't enjoying his life, until he takes a job at a bathhouse. Then he discovers that the baths are used as a space for killing people after closing hours.

Date of release
2019-08-03
TMDB
7.6 / 10 (14)
Runtime
1h 54m
Genres
Drama, Crime, Comedy
Director
Seiji Tanaka

Casting

Interesting facts

Melancholic is a 2018 Japanese crime comedy-drama film directed by Seiji Tanaka, starring Yoji Minagawa, Yoshitomo Isozaki and Mebuki Yoshida. Tanaka's directorial debut, it follows a university graduate who begins working part-time at a bathhouse, only to discover that the building is owned by a gangster who uses it as a space for murder and body disposal.

Production

The film was produced by One Goose, a collective founded by and comprising Seiji Tanaka, Yoji Minagawa and Yoshitomo Isozaki. Tanaka and Isozaki met through the theatre department of the Nihon University College of Art, and the two later met Minagawa. In March 2017, Minagawa approached Tanaka, asking him to write and direct a feature-length film he wanted to make at an izakaya in Nakano, Tokyo.

Minagawa initially suggested that Tanaka write and direct an action film. Though the latter did initially consider doing so, he felt that it would be difficult to create something original within that genre. As such, he decided against having the film's genre be purely action. It was then that he came up with the idea of having the protagonist be a cleaner who takes care of the crime scene after the action has already taken place.

For the feature film, they struggled with finding a suitable filming location. Isozaki then suggested a public bathhouse be the setting. Tanaka felt that it made sense as a location for body disposal. Tanaka named the television series Breaking Bad as an inspiration for the project. The film Whiplash served as an inspiration for the protagonist's relationship with his parents.

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