“Were the parents too harsh?” The behind-the-scenes story from director Tomoaki Fujino about a sister who spent 25 years locked away

“What Should We Have Done?” 25 years of seclusion… A painful choice by doctor parents

A hot-ticket release in Japan with 55 consecutive sellouts, shining a light on psychiatric medical realities of the 1980s and the family’s dilemma

Beyond one slice of tragedy: reflection on the other side of the family the camera scrutinized

“Criticism that the parents’ handling was harsh dominated the discussion. But is it really the case that the responsibility for this tragedy lies entirely with them?” In the long run of 25 years, while tracking the trajectory of the sister with schizophrenia who had been living cut off from the world, director Tomoaki Fujino of the documentary ‘What Should We Have Done?’ asks the question in a firm tone. He made it clear that the purpose of projecting the family’s flaws onto the screen is not to condemn the parents. Instead, he emphasized that it is an intense record aimed at bringing to public attention the ongoing social isolation and the blind spots in care for people with mental illness. In an interview carried out at Enain Film in Seoul’s Dongjak District, he said, “I wanted to share with the public the weight of reality that still repeats in the shadows,” revealing his reasons for picking up the megaphone.

A gap in the medical system of the 1980s: the truth behind home nursing chosen by doctor parents

The work closely examines the 25 years of the older sister who, after the first signs of ‘schizophrenia’ appeared in 1983, had to remain confined at home. Even though both parents were elite ‘doctors’, they failed to confront their daughter’s illness—her cries aimed at empty space and the auditory hallucinations that plagued her. Instead of pursuing treatment at institutions, they made an extreme choice: care within the home. From a modern perspective, it can look like neglect that strips someone of the right to treatment, but a cross-check of Japan’s medical infrastructure and social perceptions at the time leads to a different interpretation.

Director Fujino recalled, “After the 1980s, an opinion review was left by an expert psychiatrist in his 80s, saying that ‘given the circumstances of the era, the parents’ judgment was probably the best option.’” In Japan in the 1980s, there was no clear treatment protocol for schizophrenia, and it was also a period when harsh conduct and human-rights violations inside psychiatric hospitals were emerging as social issues. From the parents’ standpoint, rather than pushing their daughter into the outside world, they believed that keeping her under their own control was the best protective barrier.

Behind the parents’ choice were a vague hope that “healing is possible through family strength” and some contemporary medical views that treatment under more humane treatment in the home was superior to the coercive environment of hospitals. But after a reprieve of 25 years, the sister only began receiving professional ‘hospital treatment’ in 2008, and she ultimately died after battling cancer in 2021.

The miracle of 55 consecutive sellouts at an independent cinema: a requiem for those left behind

The process of bringing the most intimate family tragedy into the public sphere was also excruciating pain for the creators. Director Fujino said, “After the release was confirmed, I clenched my teeth so hard it felt like my tongue was being torn, and I suffered from sleep disorders,” describing the extreme pressure. Still, what sustained him was a sense of mission: he wanted the film to become a practical reference for the many ‘patient families’ enduring similar suffering. “The guilt I feel toward my sister, who has passed away, is a burden I’ll carry for the rest of my life. But preventing a second or third tragedy is what those who survive must do,” his confession lands heavily.

The film’s sincerity moved viewers’ hearts. During Japan’s December 2024 release, it set an unprecedented run of ‘55 consecutive sellouts’ at ‘Forefore Higashinakano’, a symbolic independent arts cinema in Tokyo. In Korea as well, the movie is creating a stir by proving its artistic value through events such as the ‘Seoul International Disabled Persons Film Festival’ and the ‘Muju Sangaol Film Festival’. How a closed history of one family expands into a universal solidarity with the present-day public is exactly the answer this film offers.