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Reminiscent of 19th century social novels. Akahige tells the story of an upper-class doctor who goes through the life-changing experience of working in an overcrowded, low-budget clinic. He reluctantly comes in, self-centered and stubborn, but ends up abandoning his privileges to dedicate his life to curing the poor. It’s a movie with a strong progressive statement: the people’s health is first and foremost a social and political problem. Unfortunately, the message is hammered down with way more insistence and explicitness than needed, occasionally telling more than showing. On all other accounts, it splendidly delivers, from the subplots structure to the stellar photography & acting.