You are here:

Room Laundering

Name: Room Laundering
Director: Kenji Katagiri
Released: 2018
Duration: 108 min

Representation Score

7.1/10

Good

2018

Director

Kenji Katagiri

Runtime

108 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Room Laundering is a traditional supernatural drama centered on a female protagonist's personal journey. The film provides meaningful ability to act to its protagonist, who uses her unique sensory abilities to navigate grief and resolve lingering concerns of ghosts. While the film successfully centers a female perspective, it stays within conventional narrative boundaries. It does not engage explicitly with broader identities or systemic social critiques, focusing instead on personal and familial connections. The production adheres to the cultural norms of its Japanese setting. It offers a grounded exploration of the spiritual and the mundane without venturing into diverse social or political territories.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Room Laundering have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The story revolves around finding a missing mother and searching for familial lineage. There is no visible engagement with non-straight or non-cisgender identities or same-sex relationships.

How does Room Laundering portray gender?

Fair

Yakumo Miko serves as the central protagonist and drives the story with specialized ability to act. A male uncle provides support, but the emotional and investigative work is handled by the female characters.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Room Laundering?

Fair

The cast is primarily Japanese, reflecting the film's cultural context. This uniformity highlights the specific geographic and social environment of the story.

How does Room Laundering represent religion and culture?

Fair

Themes of grief and connections to ancestors drive the plot. The narrative operates within traditional family structures without explicitly critiquing them.

Does Room Laundering include disability representation?

Fair

Miko’s ability to see ghosts and her history of social withdrawal suggest themes of neurodivergence or trauma. Her unique perception is treated as a functional part of her identity.

Present on Screen

The film centers a female protagonist who drives the investigative plot who play a significant role in driving the story.
Miko's supernatural perception is treated as a functional aspect of her identity, not just a gimmick.
The narrative provides a focused exploration of grief and familial loss through a specialized lens.

Limited or Absent

The story lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-cisgender gender expressions.
The narrative framework relies heavily on traditional family structures without challenging them.
The cast and setting remain ethnically homogeneous, limiting broader racial diversity.

Official Synopsis

Yakumo Miko's father died when she was 5 years old. The next year, Miko mother went missing. Miko then moved in with her grandmother, but, at the age of 18, Miko's grandmother passes away. She shuts herself away from others. One day, her uncle from her mother's side, Ikazuzi Goro appears. He sets up a place for Miko to live and also a place for her to do part-time work. Her part-time job is "room laundering." After starting her job, Miko sees ghosts. She struggles to solve the worries of the ghosts who are staying in rooms. Ikazuzi Goro tells Miko that her mother was able to see ghosts which affected her. Miko asks him to find her mother.

How are these scores produced? →