Swimming with Tears

In the sparsely populated rural areas of Japan, the female population is far smaller than the male. An attempt is made to counter this imbalance by arranging marriages with Filipino women. Fey, a young Filipina, came as a mail-order bride. Although she tries hard, she cannot get on with her husband, either verbally or emotionally. After a year, she flees her snow-country husband with only the clothes on her back and sets out in search of work in Toyko. She wanders through Toyko asking for help in churches and at the Philippine Embassy. She needs to find work to earn enough money for a flight home. She finally finds a job and a place to stay with a Chinese man who is sympathetic to her situation. He introduces her to two of his Japanese neighbors who, when they hear Fey's life story, immediately decide to help her find her Japanese father whom she has never met.

Directed by Hirotaka Tashiro, Swimming with Tears leans on a strong ensemble — Ruby Moreno, Shiro Sano, Jun Togawa — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1992.