There.
That is our job.
See what I mean?
Any writer can come up with material.
To use it so you burst into laughter is the work of the artiste.
How powerfully...
...and with what timing does it go 'pop'?
The answer to that, delivered on the stage...
...is the artiste's technique.
Once I had learned that...
...I was an artiste at whom you just had to laugh.
'Had to laugh'...
Had to laugh.
I'm sure that when he burst that balloon...
...he scared himself, too.
Yeah!
Look.
That look scared me!
You just have to laugh.
Don't write that!
Don't worry.
I've got another interview.
Yes... yes...
It's 70 per cent done.
That's a nearly 90-per-cent 70 per cent.
No, I'm not at 80 per cent yet.
No signal!
I'm really sorry! I'll have it by 1 tomorrow.
No. I'll have it by tonight.
Hey, there's Tetsu sticking his bum out again.
Asuka! There you are!
That's my boyfriend.
We'll be late!
Sorry!
Hello!
I'm Kimura Yoshio.
Hello. We're from...
Turn that off!
Sorry.
Please sit down.
We'd like to talk with you about confectionaries...
Your sword...
Let's take that...
The shrine's here. It's huge!
Asuka! Asuka!
Asuka! Hey!
Asuka!
Aw, man... she's gargling vomit.
WELCOME TO THE QUIET ROOM
Huh?
Hello?
Somebody?
Anybody?
Hello?
I'm burning! I'm burning!
Hello!
My head!
My head stinks!
It smells of burning!
I'm seeing this.
A real ceiling.
Real walls.
They're white.
OK.
I'm seeing them.
But this...
...I don't understand.
My head!
Did you just wake up? That noise outside is all right.
Don't worry about it.
Is this a hospital?
Yes. I'm your nurse-in-charge. My name is Eguchi.
Do you know where you are?
Not really. Am I tied down here?
Yes. Hands, feet, and body. 5-point restraint.
5-point restraint?
With the consent of your flatmate.
Where am I?
The Joseikai Psychiatric Hospital.
The Women's Secure Unit.
'Secure'?
Wait a minute!
Ms Sakura...
Yes?
Do you know why you're here?
Uh...
...probably...
...last night. I took some pills...
I'm really sorry! I'll have it by 1 tomorrow.
No. I'll have it by tonight.
I can't come to the phone right now.
Please leave your name and a message after the tone.
This is Fresh TV. How's the story going?
Give us a call.
It wasn't last night. It was three days ago.
Two days ago at 1 p. M...
...you were found unconscious from alcohol and sedatives.
Your flatmate brought you here.
Oh, shit!
Two days ago?
Yes.
It's 11 a.m., so you haven't woken up for two full days.
Two days...
You have 21 new messages.
Hello? This is Fresh TV. Ms Sakura?
Oh, no...
Oh, no!
Are you all right?
No, I'm not all right!
Could you untie these?
There's a danger you might fall.
I won't fall. I need to phone.
Did Tetsu... did my flatmate leave my cell phone?
Wait for the doctor.
Patients are not allowed cell phones.
Why?
The rules.
Wait!
When can I get out of here?
When your blood is clear of the drug.
And when that happens, I can go home?
When your doctor and guardian consent.
If you attempt suicide again, we can be held responsible.
What? Suicide? Wait a minute...
Do you understand 'committed'?
You were admitted...
...on the judgment of your guardian and your doctor.
What?
I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about.
Oh, you were incontinent, so your flatmate took your clothes.
Those are on lease from the hospital.
It's part of your bill.
You do understand 'incontinent'?
'Incontinent'...
'Incontinent'? This is your first signed article.
Are you sure about this?
It's not true.
It's not?
No, it isn't.
I'm going to market myself as an eccentric.
Huh?
Whee-ooo!
Ms Sakura?
Dr Matsubara is here on his rounds.
How are you feeling?
I'm fine.
You're good to go?
I guess so.
Well, let's take off those restraints.
Yes. Doctor.
Unhook the catheter.
I'm Nurse Yamagishi. How do you do.
Shall we check her blood pressure?
I'll just pull these down.
Here we go...
What's this?
It's out.
Are you hungry?
Yeah, she hasn't eaten for two days.
Um, I'm on deadline...
She's a magazine journalist.
Once you're physically recovered, we'll have to call your guardian...
...for a talk.
I see you've had psychosomatic treatment.
No...
Uh, yes. I had a bit of insomnia for a little while.
Oh, insomnia...
That's all over, though.
She says she wasn't intending suicide.
I was just trying to space myself out over some things.
I was drinking, and the pills made me feel good.
Next thing I knew...
We should just get her husband's OK and let her out, then.
But her assessment...
You can tell by looking at her.
If her husband says let her out, we can't keep her.
I messed up.
To be honest, I don't understand what I'm doing here.
Your flatmate decided.
Well, yes, but...
...when's this 'assessment'? Can I have it now?
When is it?
You're away next week, Doctor. So after that.
That's no good...
Not so fast!
I'm fine.
You're lucky.
How?
Your new physician. Dr Shirai, is really good.
She's kind of butch, but she's a great doctor.
Oh?
Dr Matsubara is just wishy-washy. That's why he got that fracture.
He's got wishy-washy bones.
I told you before, that was an accident.
He just lets everyone out.
Dr Shirai takes the time to treat people, so don't worry.
Oh, great!
Treat me for what? What do I have, anyway?
I'm told they suspect you have thanatic tendencies.
'Thanatic'?
You're suicidal.
It usually takes two or three months to recover.
So let's get you cured, OK?
Connecting to the Message Center.
Sakura speaking.
I'm thanatic right now, so please leave a message...
She gets a column then vanishes for three days!
To hell with her. She's fired.
Let's eat!
Food...
I'm starving!
Damn it!
I'm starving!
It's normal.
It's just normal, mature irritation.
You have a visitor.
I have permission to undo these.
It's your flatmate. Visiting hours are over soon, so keep it short.
Come in.
I brought you some stuff.
You look like Hannibal Lecter.
Or maybe a river sprite.
Or science fiction... 'Akira'.
Tetsu...
I brought this.
No!
You know...
This place is the real thing!
I came by the nurses' station from the elevator.
There were some girls in there eating...
...all as thin as sticks...
...just glaring at their food like it was eating them.
Like they were absorbing calories just looking at it.
And beside them a girl was crying her eyes out.
Frizzy hair, like Little Orphan Annie, and a burned smell.
Telling a nurse beside her, 'I won't burn my hair again!'
That must be the one who was screaming about her head.
You don't hear that very often. 'I won't burn my hair again!'
This is a whole new world.
Well, I'm even being isolated from that world.
I've been tied down.
I don't think you can smoke here.
You're probably right.
They wanted to tie you down so you didn't roll off in your sleep.
I went along with it.
You know me... I do what I'm told.
Well, don't tell Mom...
I haven't.
I'll say you're on a trip.
Just don't start shaking like you always do when you're lying.
You're right.
With Dad only just gone, this would put her in hospital, too.
Don't laugh.
I didn't.
You did.
I did.
Tetsu, I want you to tell me honestly.
Yeah...
When you found me, how was it?
I mean, how did it look?
Uh...
...I guess we'd been fighting.
Yes. We had.
We had a fight. Over the shrine.
The shrine, yeah.
You remember?
So I went out drinking till 4, then passed out in the living room.
About 9 I woke up and went into the bedroom.
You'd thrown up a little, there on the bed...
...with all these packets of pills around you.
I thought you'd done it for sure.
You said the bedroom?
Upstairs?
Yeah.
What's this?
I don't remember going upstairs.
So I thought, 'Oh, shit!' And called the ambulance.
Then right after the medics the police came!
I said you'd taken a drug so they treated it as a crime!
Was your wife using illegal drugs?
Illegal?!
No! No way!
There's alcohol and sleeping pills upstairs. I think that's what it was.
That's the closest the cops have ever been to my ganja.
Shh! There's a camera here.
Where?!
Right there!
Come with us, sir.
Right!
I'll, uh, just be in the can.
Cute.
I was never so glad that's a matryoshka doll.
That was close!
Idiot!
So I got in the ambulance...
And came here.
No.
They had to pump your stomach.
We went to emergency at a hospital nearby.
A hospital?
Asuka...
Man, did that hurt! Right on the nail!
I'm sorry. I don't remember.
No?
After all you went through?
Then what?
Did they bring me here after that?
Yeah, I guess so.
That's weird...
What?
Why didn't I just stay there?
Oh, that was because of the beds and stuff...
They didn't have any open. This one did.
I'm in a psych hospital because they had a free bed?!
On the Secure Ward?
I'm not setting my head on fire!
Well, the medics told me we were coming here...
I do what I'm told.
That's for sure!
And they said...
...you might try it again.
Tetsu, do you really think I was trying to kill myself?
I don't want to think that, but...
But what?
All that stuff they pumped out of your stomach...
Tetsu...
Sorry.
You haven't slept...
No, I slept at a program meeting.
Tetsu...
...can I touch your bum?
This relaxes me.
It does?
Good.
What about you?
Me...
...not.
My legs are tired.
Yeah...
I guess I should say I'm sorry, shouldn't I.
I haven't said that yet.
I'm glad you're alive!
I thought you'd never wake up!
The toilet's there.
I don't need a toilet!
I don't need a toilet...
Huh?
I think I might need a toilet!
What Tetsu brought...
A boom box.
A coffee maker.
Chips.
Rolls.
Cream.
Creamer.
Nintendo DS Lite.
Two of them.
A mirror.
A manga.
They let me keep...
...the manga.
I can't read this!
Coming in!
Dinner at last.
What is it?
Hamburger, rice, and miso soup...
...all mixed together in a blender.
It looks like snot.
Don't think of snot.
It tastes like that, too.
What?
Your boyfriend... he's a TV writer, isn't he.
Yeah. You know your stuff.
I just love 'The Punishment Game'!
He's 'Tetsu the Writer'. I recognized his bum.
That's hot!
Don't tell anyone. It could hurt him.
I'm not allowed to.
And I'm a fan.
Could I ask something?
Yes?
Well...
...I can't eat looking at a toilet.
Shit!
Shit! Fuck!
I told you!
It has to be Shiseido Maquillage lipstick!
There's things I can't leave behind!
Ms Yoshimura! Ms Yoshimura! You can leave them behind!
Is that a piano? Someone's really good.
There's one in the lounge.
That's Sae. She's been here the longest.
About five years, maybe.
How old is she?
20. Five years in a single room at Y20,000 a day.
She's rich. She only weighs 35 kilos, though.
She just won't eat.
That's the nurses' station.
If you need us for anything, just tap on the glass.
Oxygen-power punch!
It's reinforced.
That hurts!
It's her head that burns?
Thank you for everything, Nurse.
Is she getting out?
No, she isn't.
Mrs Kinbara!
Um...
Look after yourself, not her.
And that door is the only way a patient can get out.
Do you smoke?
In there.
The dining area is the common room. You can eat there.
Excuse me...
I'd like to see a mirror.
You would?
What's this?
I look like shit!
You were out cold for two days?
You want this?
You overdosed. Huh?
'OD'. We call it here. I was in there a week ago.
My name's Kurita.
Uh, oh...
Thanks.
I'm Sakura.
It's a stupid thing to do.
Mine was by accident, more or less.
It's expensive here, so there's always a bed for an emergency case.
That's exactly what happened to me!
Oh?
Ace the interview. Then.
I'm allowed out tonight. They'll probably discharge me soon.
My husband put in a word. He's a doctor.
So things go smoothly with my doctor here.
Who's your doctor?
Dr Shirai. She's a good doctor if you don't look at her.
'Shirai'...
Keep the brush till tomorrow.
My husband's waiting at the nurses' station.
Thank you.
At last! Dinner at a good restaurant.
Dinner...
Ow!
Shall I brush your hair?
'Sakura Asuka'? They both sound like given names.
Are you the pianist?
No.
That was Sae from the rich room.
I'm Miki.
She doesn't eat because she doesn't want to.
I want to eat, but I can't.
Oh.
Are you an OD?
Yeah.
You looked in at me, didn't you.
You said something.
Yes.
What?
'Welcome to the Quiet Room'.
'Quiet Room'?
That's what we call the isolation ward.
You go in there if you bother people, or you're making yourself miserable.
There.
It's time to get up. Radio Calisthenics are starting...
...in the common room.
Time to get up...
I haven't slept a wink.
Raise your hands, forward and up!
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...
Don't cry! I'm stupid, remember?
Crying just makes me stupider.
It's true.
Just get me the money.
Then go to hell!
Good morning.
My flatmate left some money. I want to buy a telephone card.
Write your name here, and tomorrow...
But I'd like it now...
That's how it's done.
All right.
I'd also like a pen and paper. And cigarettes...
Fill out this form, then. On Monday you can use up to Y3,000...
Monday?
This is Wednesday... how long is it till Monday?
The rules are there for your benefit.
I'm a writer with a deadline! I have obligations to...
Excuse me...
...you're Adachi Yumi, aren't you.
Huh?
No, I'm not.
Where was I?
I have obligations to...
The Secure Ward is here to keep patients free of those obligations.
But I can't function in society with these rules...
Do large quantities of sleeping pills help you function in society?
She's stainless steel.
An alien from the planet Stainless here to make us all stainless steel.
Fuck off!
Why?!
I wasn't hurting anyone!
All I did was burn my head!
Thank you for everything.
No, no, no...
Let me go!
What happened?
Yesterday she got a lighter and set her hair on fire.
Flame on!
So they cancelled her day out.
Bam!
Bitch!
Now Eguchi's mad.
Once a patient stabbed her with a pen.
She almost died, but she's still nursing.
Stop!
That's a woman?
Dr Shirai.
Here...
Hey!
No...
You don't hit Eguchi. It's the Quiet Room for her.
What?! Am I going to be in there with that wacko?
Of course not!
You'll come out of there as crazy as she is.
So that means...
You might get out of the Q. Uiet Room today.
Now you've got me all excited.
You know, I hate people who cause trouble.
People who eat too much then throw up...
...or who slash their wrists, or overdose...
They're ill, but it's still a drag.
There's calories in me!
Get out!
Ms Mizuhara, 35 kilos.
She doesn't eat, she goes on a drip, and walks off even those calories.
What's the point of her being here?
Sae, the piano player, is so light the blood won't reach her brain.
She's forgotten why she's here.
They're kissing...
With their tongues.
It's so irritating!
What about you?
Why am I here, do you mean?
I just didn't...
...have a normal appetite.
While I wasn't eating, my stomach shrank...
...and I was put in here.
They all want to get thin. I don't want that.
I'm here because I want to eat.
Oh.
But you can't trust me. I'm in the Secure Ward, right?
No.
I haven't thought that deeply about what's wrong with you.
You know how to get by here.
Nurse Yamagishi!
Ms Sakura, you're moving.
Really?
You're lucky! You're in with Mrs Kurita.
The woman with the hairbrush?
Thank you, Nurse Yamagishi!
Well, I pulled a few strings...
Breakfast is ready. Please come to the dining hall.
Time to eat.
In the three months I've been here I've gained two kilos.
Two more and I'm allowed to go out.
I'll come with you. I'm starving.
Oh, sorry.
We eat in the nurses' station.
Eating is therapy.
See you.
You might want to eat in your room...
It looks horrible. But it's milk and bread and strawberry.
Cute stuff like that.
Shit!
This is good!
Really good!
It's gone!
No peeking! Or it's back to the Quiet Room you go.
Just kidding!
I'll trade you a smoke for your manga.
I love that series!
Do they teach choir here?
If you pay for it.
This place is all about money.
We did 'The Wizard of Oz' at our high-school culture festival.
Oh.
Don't tell. They'll get mad at me.
Everyone's always getting mad at me!
She's OK.
Right now her head is filled with calories.
This smells like lemon grass...
Oh, I'm...
Ms Sakura. The nurse said.
I'm Nishino. I'm bulimic.
I eat and throw up, and my daughter gets mad.
I'm scared of her. She's turned out all wrong.
Her boyfriend's a yakuza.
We fight and she calls in her thug!
Cute taste, huh?
Yes. It is.
There's nothing to do here...
...so everyone fixates on tobacco.
I've got these, too.
Coconut flavor. Want them?
You don't mind?
I'll put it on account.
'Sakura...
'Black Devil, Y1,300.'
Expensive, huh? Why is that, anyway?
I shouldn't... I don't have any money...
Just get it from the guy...
...you were doing it with.
'Doing it'?
You both had your pants down. Everyone knows.
Ow!
Not me! Just him.
A blowjob?
She was blowing him! Cool!
I was not!
It's all right.
You're new. You probably need that.
You don't mind?
That's fine. I had a hard time, too.
'Sakura, telephone card, 50 units, Y1,000.'
Y1,000?
She's dead. There's a premium on the card.
This woman's dead?
Suicide
Bam!
So that's Y2,300 in all.
2,300's an ugly number.
Take this and we'll call it Y2,500.
OK.
Excuse me.
Tell me... why did you OD?
I'm a good listener.
My insomnia all started after my ex-husband killed himself.
I'm sure of that.
I met him four years ago, when I was modeling.
We'll start with a smile...
It was a stupid job.
So your name's 'Garana'?
He was the serious type.
A software developer for computer games.
For me, taking life as it came, his gravity was new.
We had dinner a few times, got serious, and then married.
Look, he's lighting farts!
Look at those farts burn!
It didn't take a year before I started thinking he was dull.
It was such a great flame!
There was a reason I had a lot of idiot friends.
I liked idiots.
I spent my days watching comedy on TV.
Hi.
I'm home.
I've been transferred to Mie.
What?
It's a demotion. The company's not doing well.
What's in Mie Prefecture?
Tsu.
Tsu?
Yeah.
'Tsu'... 'Tsu'...
End of the line...
We went on a trip. I was afraid he'd murder me then kill himself.
Boom!
Capital city destroyed!
Right!
You say I'm dull...
...but I know one trick!
Do it!
Great!
Soap and water!
Get some soap and water!
This isn't happening.
Then it'll slip out!
I can't understand you!
Are you all right?
What's wrong?
Is it my cooking? My jaw! My jaw!
I'm sorry. My jaw!
We'll pull it out.
I'll hold you.
'Ane St, 3rd St, 6th St... '
'Tako St, Nishiki.'
No!
It won't work!
'Ane St, 3rd St, 6th St... '
'Tako St, Nishiki!'
Call an ambulance!
Sir!
Mr Otomatsu!
Sir!
Mr Otomatsu!
I'm sorry this...
...had to happen.
Die.
Please! Just die.
We separated.
Ms Sakura... it's time.
In the end, all I had left...
...was a knowledge of TV comedy...
...and a pair of silver loafers...
...he'd bought me for my birthday.
Somehow they reminded me of the shoes I'd worn...
...when I played Dorothy in 'The Wizard of Oz'...
...at our high-school culture festival.
I could never bring myself to get rid of them.
I had to make a living, so for six months...
...I read porno novels at a club.
'That icky thing buried in my crotch began to move.
'Again and again it moved, as if obsessed...
'... with thrilling my acorn.
'More than coming, I was going... '
Sorry!
I give up.
There I met Tetsu, an aspiring TV writer.
'My acorn'!
Itsuki Hiroshi!
Penniless, I had no hesitation in moving in with him.
More! More!
My first writing job was an article on my experience in the sex trade...
...for a magazine he introduced me to.
My parents read it and disowned me...
...but for the first time in my life, I felt like working.
Our show's being moved to prime time!
Great!
Ow ow ow ow ow!
And I might be getting a regular column!
Fantastic!
Ow. Ow! Wait...
What's that?
Special delivery.
Yes?
Yes, this is Asuka. How have you been?
I see...
I'm sorry, I'll need some time to think...
What's wrong?
What's the system here?!
I'm itchy! I'm itchy!
Itchy! Itchy!
Asuka!
My ex!
He killed himself!
Now what? What do we do?!
Go buy an antihistamine!
OK!
I hadn't had hives since an endoscopy in high school.
It's a shame. Asuka.
From that day on, I couldn't sleep.
Don't!
The doctor told you not to drink!
I know how much I'm taking.
I've got weed...
Go away!
Are you driving away demons?
I'm going to bed.
'Demons out!'
I tried as hard as I could. I can't take any more.
You're saying it's my fault?
A shame.
Where are you going?
To a shoot.
With all that?
It's overnight.
Isn't that nice.
What...
What is?
You don't have to sleep with the pain in the ass.
Don't you have a column you should be writing?
Lately you're not very evident in the sex department, you know.
Well...
...you're always drunk.
Ow!
Ouch!
Out!
I feel like shit!
Aren't you cute!
Look at those pretty cheeks!
Drink lots of milk and grow up strong!
I suddenly thought...
...if Tetsu and I had a baby, I'd come out of this darkness.
For some reason, I was sure.
Tetsu? Let's have a kid!
I resolved to go back to being someone he'd make love to.
For the sake of pregnancy, I'd give up sleeping pills.
You're still up?
Yeah. I'm not going to bed till I get sleepy.
Don't push too hard.
The pills I didn't take were my downfall.
Just as I was getting more into things...
...my cousin called saying my father had died of a stroke.
What about the funeral?
I'm not going.
They called me a whore, so I'm not going home.
Oh.
But I'll buy them a household shrine. No one's died in our family before.
I've got a friend who knows about those.
Turn that off!
Sorry.
It's huge!
My mother sent the shrine back.
I'm sorry. My friend belongs to this really weird sect.
I've never seen one this big.
Ummmm...
...can we throw it out?
I know what you mean, but it's already been in my house.
Dad's soul might be in there!
What?!
That's where it goes. That's why you pray to it.
It's hard to throw out...
OK, we'll put it in my den. We'll never get it upstairs.
I'll get Komono to help.
Thanks.
Sorry, my deadline's tomorrow. I'm going upstairs.
Please leave your name and a message after the tone.
This is Fresh TV. How's the story going?
Give us a call.
Damn!
Why can't I write a measly 800 characters?
Climb in.
May I climb in there?
Sure! You can fit in there.
Komono was a former delinquent Tetsu had made his protege.
Oh... sorry, Asuka.
Weed...
What's going on?
Staying sober is just too scary right now.
Hey!
'Demons out!'
If it's going to go in Tetsu's room, he wants it to look a bit more solid.
What's that supposed to mean?
Well, you know... it just looks better in silver!
Smarten up!
'Demons out! Demons out!'
Do you realize what you're painting silver?
Someone's father!
Sorry!
Just the idea...
'Back to the Future'?
And then we had the mother of all fights.
Now I'm solid! Solid!
Ow!
That hurts!
Now I'm mad. Komono, we're out of here!
Next thing I remember, I was under 5-point restraint in the Quiet Room.
I was paying attention for the first half, I really was.
From your face, you really have a cross to bear!
You can talk to me.
I've always got time for a phone card, or a cigarette, or a talk.
As a matter of fact, I've been disowned, too.
A parent disowning a child...
...that I understand.
But my daughter disowned me. I just don't get it!
It's kind of a long story, but do you want to hear mine?
Huh?
Uh...
Are we roommates now?
That's right.
They want you for your physical.
Excuse me. We'll talk next time.
Hurry up and pay me back, or I'll have to charge you interest.
No problem. Your appetite's good, and we won't need an endoscopy.
I'll put you back on regular food.
Great!
I hate that stomach camera. It makes me break out in hives.
Then the stomach pump must have been really hard.
That was at the first hospital?
Yes. Then I recommended this one.
I don't remember anything about it.
No?
Perhaps it's better that way.
I can't come to...
I can't come to the phone right now.
I really wish you'd hurry up.
Tigris-Euphrates...
I can't come to the phone right now.
You have 20 seconds after the tone to leave a message.
Jerk!
You seem pretty angry.
I'm being released tomorrow.
What? Oh, no!
I mean... congratulations.
If your husband says to let you out, they can't keep you.
I can't reach mine, and I don't know his friends' phone numbers.
Would you like to come and see Sae in the rich room?
Miki and I are helping her.
Her parents buy her all those intellectual books...
...and poor Sae here can't even read comics!
So they bought her this.
A thousand pieces!
Sae promised us...
...if we finished this. She'd eat all her dinner for once.
Didn't you.
I'll try.
I wanted to finish before I got out, but it doesn't look like I will.
So... tag.
OK.
It fits!
At last.
Great.
This piece won't go there.
There!
She's on a roll.
This is relaxing, isn't it.
That's some clock...
Damn, it's 10 to 8!
Thanks.
Aw, it's over!
The show's popular here, too.
They love it!
Tetsu the Writer, for skipping a meeting...
...must visit the jungles of Myanmar...
...with a parrot on his shoulder.
Go, Private Tetsu!
You and your parrot!
Uh... my name is Komono. Yakihata Tetsu is in Myanmar.
I repeat, my name is...
Damn you!
We tried, but there's still a third to go.
Oh.
Smuggled in from outside.
Eat it quick.
Thanks.
It's so sweet!
How did you smuggle it in?
If I tell you, you'll be sorry you ate it.
Can I ask why you chose me to replace you on the jigsaw squad?
I just had a feeling.
I suppose you struck me...
...as being like me...
...maybe.
I'm not as nice as you are.
I'm picky about people myself.
That woman today. I don't like her.
Nishino?
Be careful. She targets all the new patients.
That girl who burned herself...
She pestered her, too. I think the stress set her off.
So I'm her next target?
Uh-oh...
She used to be a porno actress.
She started in her 20s, then got busted for speed.
She had plastic surgery in her 30s...
...then got worried about her figure.
She didn't have the willpower to diet, so she started binge-eating.
She's the one you'll hear retching in the toilet.
She eats her misery, then throws it up.
Anyway, whether someone's a nuisance or not...
...we're all here in rooms with windows that don't open.
I'm sorry... I'm on some really strong sleeping pills.
Do you know what the picture is in Sae's puzzle?
A lithograph, isn't it?
Escher's endless staircase.
Her parents aren't very sensitive.
Someone's crying.
Of course.
For all the people there are in here...
...there's no lonelier place than this.
Look here!
I'm right against the wall.
It'II be nice to be out.
Look!
Farewell
Leave her to me.
Good luck.
Thanks.
I should write my mail address.
It's OK. I won't be keeping this.
I'm going back to the real world.
But you're different from the rest.
Call me when you get out. We'll have some champagne.
Goodbye.
Take care.
OK! That's it for the change of schools!
Now we can all go back to being sick.
Are you getting a visit today?
I don't really know.
Pay me back, OK?
Oh... sure.
It's especially important that friends keep things straight.
Y13,000 is a lot of money.
The worst thing for making people ugly is a quarrel over money.
So keep things straight.
This isn't the Third World!
Ms Sakura Asuka, you have a visitor.
So Komono...
...is Tetsu in Tokyo or not?
I'm sorry! He's not!
He up and went!
We recorded the program the day you were taken away.
He had to cancel.
As a penalty...
...they sent him to the jungle like in 'Harp of Burma'!
He couldn't tell them why...
...so they got mad and sent him off without even a chance to phone!
I was there!
Yesterday morning they gagged him and blindfolded him...
...put him in a car, and took him straight to the airport!
So I guess that's all my fault, huh?
But I was with him all the way to the airport.
I got your things, and took care of your deadline.
Did you say 'deadline'?
I wrote your eight thousand...
'Thousand'?
Eight hundred!
'Eight hundred' characters, and sent it in for you!
Show it to me.
It's you!
'Hi, everyone! I started a forest fire at summer camp, so I'm being good.
'This is Asuka, your raw meat-Ioving cavewoman... '
'Raw meat-Ioving... '
I wrote it to suit you...
Huh?
Itchy! Itchy!
Komono! Komono!
Damn this thing!
Nurse!
Asuka's freaking out!
Don't tell them that!
Calm down. Ms Sakura...
I'm calm! I've got hives.
Thank you, Nurse.
It's hives, damn it!
Are you acting up again?
No, I'm not acting up!
It's hives!
Ready the Quiet Room.
But...
Now!
Stop!
I'm perfectly calm. I'm not freaking out.
These are hives. Is that a mental illness?
Get an antihistamine...
...from the dispensary.
It's closed till 2.
Then go to a drug store!
Can't you even do that?!
Komono! Camera!
Right!
That's nice!
Great, Asuka!
You can't take pictures here.
That's new.
If you make the rules...
...it's only fair you should tell us what they are.
Do something, or this fool...
...will put pictures of you isolating instead of treating...
...all over the internet.
You can do that?
Sir! Yes, sir!
Yay!
Go back to your room.
Well, maybe someone should get her some ice.
And some ointment.
We'll make efforts to communicate our rules better.
Loafers
That idiot!
No, that won't work.
See the letter? It goes over here.
Ta-da!
You were great.
Nice tits, too.
I won't deny it.
Your dress is...
...blue.
I won't deny it.
It's a good thing you didn't panic in there, though.
Yeah. I was close to it.
I don't want to be more trouble than I already am.
When I see Dr Shirai on Monday, I'm going to make her ask...
...'why are you in here?'
That's my goal.
You can do it.
Did you make Eguchi shut up?!
That's right! She...
Great!
I use what I've got.
What flavor is this?
Don't!
That tastes awful!
All right all right all right...
Back...
Stop.
And...
...there.
Yes!
Good night.
That night, Sae ate her dinner for the first time in five years.
And me...
...I finally fell asleep.
Everybody!
Fresh from her victory over Eguchi and the Head Nurse...
...Asuka makes her creative dance debut!
I was hospitalized after a drug overdose.
In the Secure Wing...
...quietly noisy, and so lonely you can't stand it.
Now I'll write. Now I can.
Huh?
Remember! Remember! Remember!
Remember! Remember!
Ms Nishino?
I'll pay you back your money.
Can I have a bit more time?
I'm not Ms Nishino.
I'm sorry.
I'm only telling this to you.
Whenever I eat a meal. Somewhere in the world...
...someone valuable goes without one.
I figured out the system. That's why I can't eat.
There's a reason why I don't eat.
I'm like you.
I'm sane, but I'm in here.
The system's wrong.
It really is.
Huh?
What else can I do?
What are you doing?
You're overdue!
You had a visitor yesterday, and I was waiting to get paid back.
Money is the root of all evil, you know.
You could have said...
I'm not a collection agency.
Then what's all this?
This is...
...prying.
I like you, you know? So I'm being inquisitive.
That's not always a bad thing.
I... I don't understand what you're talking about.
What's that? A letter?
I'm sorry. It was in with some writing paper.
I was so surprised...
...I went and read it.
You read it?!
Sure! That's where a person's weirdness comes out.
Honey, you made your old man cry!
That's bad.
Don't do that.
I read all about it.
But I understand. I made my daughter cry.
We're the same.
'Dear Asuka... '
I have a choice about going to Myanmar.
Don't tell Komono.
I can go, or leave the show.
I'm going to choose Myanmar.
Yes. Flight.
I'm running away.
I'm going to a fake meeting to be kidnapped.
'There's something I haven't told you...
'... about the day you overdosed.'
Lying there in the bedroom, you looked like you were dead.
Asuka!
Asuka?
Asuka! Asuka! Asuka! Hey!
Ready?
1, 2, 3!
Hang in there!
Here we go...
Don't move...
All right?
Hang in there.
Come on...
This won't take long...
Hold her! Hold her!
Come on!
Keep trying!
Ms Sakura!
Can you hear me?
Ms Sakura?
Doctor!
What did you do to her, anyway?!
Shit!
Aw, man... she's gargling vomit.
Right then your eyes opened, and you said...
Let me die.
What's wrong?
That was no 'accident'!
You wanted to kill yourself!
'When I got home at 4 a.m., you were still up... '
Stop it.
Stop it!
You went upstairs after that.
I thought you were just drunk...
...but you'd already taken the pills.
Just because...
...I was bored...
...I ended thousands of years...
...of my father's and husband's blood lines.
I'm horrible!
That's why you think you can paint my shrine silver and laugh.
Settle down...
Move!
Asuka!
Asuka, don't! Stop it!
Let go!
I'm worthless!
Asuka!
Stop it!
Let go of me!
800 characters!
I'm an empty shell who can't even write that much!
A citizen of boring-land!
And because of that I aborted my baby!
Look here, baby!
Here we go! Say cheese!
Asuka...
Asuka, it's all right. It's all right.
Tetsu, hold me...
Tetsu...
Let's make a baby.
One who's lots of fun.
Let's make one!
Smarten up!
You damn drunk!
I'm a drag, aren't I.
Tetsu, you come from funny-land.
So you can paint a shrine silver and laugh.
But me...
...I'm a drag, aren't I.
Asuka...
...let's end this.
You really are a drag!
You're awful!
Shut up, you old bitch!
But life is a drag, isn't it.
Shut up!
You stale old bitch!
I'm not stale and I'm not old!
You old bitch!
I'm still fresh!
'Fresh'!
This is what happened to me!
Asuka! She loves sending new girls to the Quiet Room!
And those are my shoes!
So what?
When Asuka had hives. I saw Ms Nishino...
...go into the visitors' room!
Get your filthy hands off my memories!
Stop it.
Hands off, weirdo!
It's quiet, very quiet.
But I can sense the world turning.
With my silver shoes back...
...I'm like the Dorothy I played at my high-school culture festival.
Send me back to Aunt Em in Kansas!
Where can I go back to if I tap my heels together three times?
Probably nowhere.
I took those pills so God would choose where I'd be.
And I ended up in the Quiet Room.
There's nowhere better, or worse.
Where I am is exactly where a pain in the ass...
...should be.
Welcome to the Quiet Room, Asuka.
And now... I'm alive.
Miki pleaded with the nurses, and I was out of there that day.
'Morning.
Tigris-Euphrates...
Do you know about work checking water meters?
It came out Ms Nishino had been lifting people's things.
She went to a police hospital.
In all the confusion, Mrs Kinbara had escaped.
I stayed calm and let time go by.
Then came Monday, assessment day.
I don't sense any problems.
I'll let your husband decide on your release.
Three more days went by.
To Ms Yamagishi
Depressing?
Am I depressing?
Say that I am, and we can split up.
In return, I want you to sign my release from here.
OK.
Go ahead.
Deep ressing.
I'm serious.
Depressing.
You're depressing.
You had to come to that club as a punishment, didn't you.
I was supposed to jerk off, but I started laughing...
Your punishment was a long one.
It's over.
Then came the day I left.
I'd been here for 14 days.
Here. You sign, too.
To Asuka
Here.
Mail me or I'll kill you!
See you.
Thank you.
This is for you.
They're tea-flavored.
Thank you for everything.
Here.
Throw this away within one hour or it explodes.
Ready, set...
Asuka, goodbye!
We hope...
...to see you again!
Noriko!
Asuka Uchida Yuki
Tetsu Kudo Kankuro
Miki Aoi Yu
Eguchi Ryo
Ex-husband Tsukamoto Shinya
Komono Tsumabuki Satoshi
Nishino Otake Shinobu
Executive Producers Teshima Masao, Yamada Harunori, Nagasaka Makiko, Kitagawa Naoki & Morimoto Seiichi
Chief Producer Ogawa Shinji
Producers lmamura Takako & Sugawara Naota
Associate Producer Takase lwao
Based on the Novel by Matsuo Suzuki (. BUNGEISHUNJU Ltd.)
Cinematography Okabayashi Akihiro
Lighting Yamazaki Kimihiko
Art Designer Koizumi Hiroyasu
Decorator Taguchi Takahisa
Recordist Sakado Tsuyoshi
Editor Ueno Soichi
Casting Tanabe Chiaki
Wardrobe Yonemura Hiromitsu
Hair Stylist Owada Kazumi
Continuity Uekusa Nahoko
Assistant Director Oishi Makoto
Music Moji Hajime & Mori Takashi
Music Producer Yasui Shin
Theme Song 'Naked Me' Performed by LOVES. Words and Music by Higurashi Aiha Arranged by LOVES. (. Ki/oon Records Inc.)
Planning & Production SPOON. & Asmik Ace Entertainment
"Welcome to the Quiet Room" Film Partners Asmik Ace Entertainment. Inc. SPOON Inc. OTONAKEIKAKU, Inc. Sony Music Entertainment (Japan)lnc. Sumitomo Corporation
Written & Directed by Matsuo Suzuki
Subtitles lan MacDougall
(c)2007 'Welcome to the Quiet Room' Film Partners