What a Wonderful Family! 3: My Wife, My Life to be released nationwide on Friday, May 25, 2018

“It’s only after your wife is gone that you realize how much she really means to you.”
In What a Wonderful Family! 3: My Wife, My Life, set for release on May 25, 2018, a wife leaves home after an insensitive comment from her husband. The film is the much-awaited third installment in the series What a Wonderful Family! directed by legendary filmmaker Yoji Yamada.

The series has previously dealt with important social issues that lurk in the shadows of everyday life, with the first film tackling the subject of divorce in middle age and the second social disconnection. Billed as “a tribute to all housewives,” the third film is a look at what happens after a casual comment by a husband tired from work to his wife.  Years of built-up dissatisfaction causes her to storm out of the house. What comes next is a colorful account of the confusion used in the household due to her absence.

Once again, the Hirata family is portrayed by a familiar cast. The aged couple that leads the household is played by Isao Hashizume and Kazuko Yoshiyuki. The eldest son and his wife, around whom the story revolves, are played by Masahiko Nishimura and Yui Natsukawa. The eldest daughter and her husband are played by Tomoko Nakajima and Shozo Hayashiya, while the second son and his wife are played by Satoshi Tsumabuki and Yu Aoi.

“The film is about how tough it is to be a housewife and be always busy with housework, and how important the presence of the housewife is to the family,” says director Yoji Yamada. “This theme carries a certain amount of weight, so I wanted to bear that in mind while creating a comedy that is fun but at the same time thoughtful and significant.”

Having been involved in Yamada’s films for many years, Sumitomo Corporation has provided products made by its group companies for use as props in the movie, including a Feiler handkerchief. Be sure to visit your local theater to find out where in the film these products appear.