Dear Tomorrow – Films – Visions du Réel

Kaspar Astrup Schröder
Denmark, Sweden, Japan | 2025 | 83 min
Swiss Premiere
Language : Japanese
Subtitles : English, French

In Japan, loneliness has turned into a national crisis, encouraging the government to create a Ministry of Loneliness. Dear Tomorrow follows two individuals struggling with isolation. With the help of a volunteer chat service, compassionate connections, government initiatives and even pet owls, they attempt to reclaim their lives from this very contemporary affliction.

In Tokyo, the endless trains of Japan Railways carry their daily cargo of workers, each one absorbed in a smartphone or lost in thought. Alone amid the crowd, many Japanese are suffering from a silent epidemic: loneliness. An estimated 40% of the population reports feeling lonely — a major public health concern that has led the government to establish a Ministry of Loneliness and Social Isolation.
Dear Tomorrow invites us into the lives of two individuals — Masato and Shoko — for whom solitude has grown so overwhelming that the path back to human connection feels all but lost. Each of them begins their journey toward reconnection by reaching out to an online chat service, where volunteers offer comfort and practical support to thousands in distress. In a society bound by strict norms, where endurance is a deeply held virtue, each person must chart their own path back to trust and belonging — whether through adopting a pet owl or joining a support group within their religious community.
Aurélien Marsais

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