Plan 75

Imagine a government that encourages its elderly to be euthanized to remedy the problems of an aging society. That’s the premise of Plan 75, filmmaker Chie Hayakawa’s feature directing debut, which she wrote with Jason Gray.

What happens when a government plan encourages euthanasia among people 75 years or older? One of the most moving films featured in the Un Certain Regard section of the 75th Cannes Film Festival is Chie Hayakawa’s debut feature, Plan 75. The drama imagines a scenario where Japan deals with the increasing older population by introducing a program called Plan 75 that offers senior citizens age 75 and up or pensioners into signing up for euthanasia free of charge, with the “perk” of getting a “preparatory grant” of $1,000 which they can spend any way they want.