Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme: The Man Who Failed to Die

Writer and Director: Seiji Tanaka

The Man Who Failed to Die, written and directed by Seiji Tanaka, is a curious film which has elements familiar from older movies and borrows from genres like ghost stories and rom-coms but does not commit to their formula.

At a low point in his life comedy sketch writer Ippei Sekiya (Mizukawa Katamari) contemplates suicide. But his disappointments continue as he fails to die – the train under which he intended to jump does not arrive. Ippei is shocked to discover this is due to someone at an earlier station copying his idea and successfully committing suicide.

Ippei researches and discovers the name of the man who died is Tomohiro Moriguchi (Bokuzô Masana). Ippei attends Tomohiro’s funeral where he is attracted to Aya Moriguchi (Erika Karata) the late man’s daughter. Returning home Ippei is horrified to find he is being haunted by Tomohiro’s ghost. Tomohiro is concerned his death will give Wakamatsu Katsutoshi (Yutaka Kyan) – Aya’s estranged and abusive ex-husband – the opportunity to reconcile. Tomohiro threatens to haunt Ippei until he kills Wakamatsu.

Parts of The Man Who Failed to Die are familiar from other movies. Round-shouldered, bespectacled, blinking nervously, socially inept and physically clumsy Mizukawa Katamari’s Ippei brings to mind the type of character Woody Allen adopted in his early movies. Like Allen’s character in Bullets Over Broadway Ippei gets writing tips from an unlikely mentor (a ghost rather than a gangster) and, as in Broadway Danny Rose, Ippei is abandoned by a client on the verge of success.

Parts of the plot are very easy to guess. Aya turns out to be a fan of comedy leading the way to a potential romance with Ippei and her approval of his writing builds his confidence. The Man Who Failed to Die is, however, an uneven film, the opening sequences of Ippei contemplating suicide could easily move the film towards drama instead of dry comedy.

Writer/ director Seiji Tanaka cherry-picks from, rather than adheres to, the conventions of ghost stories. Instead of a translucent spectre Tomohiro’s ghost can physically touch, and indeed get violent with, Ippei; although conveniently for the plot, cannot touch any other characters. Avoiding the norms of the ghost story makes it hard to take seriously the supernatural elements of the plot- if both characters can touch each other Ippei could end the abuse from Tomohiro by simply hitting back.

Seiji Tanaka is confident with the comedy touches (at a self-defence class Ippei high-fives the ghost instead of his puzzled instructor) but shies away from strong emotions. Tomohiro helps Ippei write a comedy skit without revealing it is based upon the eulogy he delivered at his late wife’s funeral. Aya recognises the material and questions how it was written but the possible reconciliation between father and daughter is played as bittersweet rather than emotionally devastating.

The focus of the film becomes a comparison between the two central characters. Tomohiro is enigmatic, his spiritual life dominated by rage and an obsession with taking revenge on his former son-in-law. It is hard to accept that such a nagging, fanatical character is capable of turning his hand to comedy. Tomohiro shows no sign of a sense of humour, his death turns out to have been an accident not a suicide but he fails to see the funny side of the situation. Only an act of extreme self-sacrifice by Ippei nudges Tomohiro towards redemption making him a more relaxed, amiable father-figure.

It is much easier to sympathise with Ippei who is neurotic and vulnerable rather than angry. Mizukawa Katamari’s characterisation, developing Ippei into a more confident person capable of experiencing empathy and serving as a mentor to others is completely credible.

Dabbling in different genres brings a tentative atmosphere to The Man Who Failed to Die. But Seiji Tanaka’s exploratory approach and refusal to hide behind the rom-com staple whereby love solves all problems allows the characters to develop in an incremental manner and learn from mistakes so the film has a convincingly realistic conclusion despite the supernatural background.

The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2026 takes place in cinemas around the UK from 6 February to 31 March 2026. For further information: https://www.jpf-film.org.uk/