What Should We Have Done?

What Should We Have Done? is a deeply intimate documentary from Japanese filmmaker Tomoaki Fujino, who turns his camera toward the most painful chapter of his family’s history. In 1983, his older sister Masako began exhibiting severe symptoms of schizophrenia. Despite their medical expertise, her parents—both highly trained doctors—refused to acknowledge her condition, creating decades of silence and strain within the household.

More than twenty years later, Fujino returns home to film the everyday rhythms of family life, capturing moments that reveal long‑buried tensions, quiet resilience, and the emotional cost of denial. Through this personal lens, the film examines how families navigate mental illness, the limits of professional knowledge, and the enduring need for dignity and understanding.

Presented in Japanese with English subtitles, What Should We Have Done? offers a rare, unguarded look at the complexities of love, responsibility, and the stories families struggle to tell. Co-presented by the Japan Foundation.