Order of the Salaryman

A salaryman promoted against his will skips his first morning meeting and slips into a spiral of small rebellions—cafés, nightclubs, and a fleeting romance—while rejecting the rigid “medals” of corporate success. Torn between family and freedom, he plots a staged disappearance to reclaim a late-coming youth, in a bittersweet drama underscored by the haunting refrain of “Akita Ondo.”

• Director: Kazuho Mitsuta
• Cast: Sakae Umezu, Manami Fuji, Keiko Tsushima, Tadao Nakamaru, Hiroshi Minami, Takashi Kanda, Masaya Nihei, Rie Yokoyama