Shower

I actually showed up about 15-20 min late to the movie, so I didn't catch the beginning, but the gist of the story sort of fell together well enough so that I wasn't lost or confused.

The bathhouse that Darming's father and brother owned was a kind of community where those who went there were regulars (the guy who sang the same song over and over, the old guy falling asleep in the bath, the two who always fought over cricket matches, etc.) and knew each other like family. Even the father and Earming treated the guests with a kind of comradeship; for instance when one of his customers was being dragged out by thugs to whom he owed money, the father stopped them and replied that even though it doesn't concern him, that man was in his bathhouse, and therefore he has a responsibility toward him while he's here. He even provides the man with the money he owes the thugs. (The father is the glue which keeps that "community" together, and when he needs to be replaced, Darming sort of wakes up to his own responsibility to not only his challenged brother, but to the bathhouse of this little town. ) I found that scene kind of interesting in it's rarity; you wouldn't see that happen in a YMCA where the manager decides not only to save the customer, but to get even more involved and give him the money he needs. I'm sure it wouldn't be the case in the larger urban area where Darming had been visiting from either.

I also liked the discussion afterwords; it gave us more insight on the culture, like how there is much more emphasis on one's responsibility to the family, and that it was unusual not to see so many people roaming around the city in the film, and the fact that Darming means "first" and Earming means "second."