You are here:

461 Days of Bento: A Promise Between Father and Son

Name: 461 Days of Bento: A Promise Between Father and Son
Director: Atsushi Kaneshige
Released: 2020
Duration: 119 min

Representation Score

4.3/10

Fair

2020

Director

Atsushi Kaneshige

Runtime

119 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The film provides a nuanced look at unconventional family dynamics by focusing on emotional labor and vulnerability. It moves away from the 'perfect family' cliché by centering on a divorced household and the struggles of a child facing academic failure. While the film offers progressive value through its depiction of nurturing fatherhood, it remains limited in scope. The narrative lacks explicit characters who reflect more than one aspect of diversity, queer identities, or a diverse cast, staying rooted in a specific, homogeneous cultural context. Ultimately, the work succeeds as a character-driven drama that redefines masculinity through caretaking, even if it does not engage in broader systemic social critique.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does 461 Days of Bento: A Promise Between Father and Son have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film does not explicitly depict LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships. It centers on a traditional father-son relationship.

How does 461 Days of Bento: A Promise Between Father and Son portray gender?

Fair

The story challenges traditional gender roles by showing a father doing domestic work. However, the lack of female characters restricts the exploration of gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is 461 Days of Bento: A Promise Between Father and Son?

Limited

This Japanese film focuses on a homogeneous domestic setting. It does not pursue diverse casting and instead sticks to a localized demographic profile.

How does 461 Days of Bento: A Promise Between Father and Son represent religion and culture?

Fair

The film examines a divorced household and academic struggles, emphasizing personal connections and emotional turmoil over societal perfection.

Does 461 Days of Bento: A Promise Between Father and Son include disability representation?

Minimal

The film does not portray any physical, neurodivergent, or mental health conditions.

Present on Screen

Challenges traditional masculine archetypes by highlighting a father performing domestic and emotional labor.
Offers a realistic depiction of fractured family dynamics by focusing on a post-divorce household.

Limited or Absent

Does not include explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.
The absence of female characters limits the exploration of broader gender hierarchy subversion.
Maintains a homogeneous demographic profile with little racial or ethnic diversity.

Official Synopsis

Kazuki Suzumoto is divorced and he lives with his 15-year-old son Kouki. Kouki is in a susceptible time. The father feels guilty about his son. Kouki then fails his high school entrance exam. In the spring of the following year, Kouki barely passes his high school entrance exam. Kouki mentions to Kazuki that he likes his father's lunch box. The father and son make a promise to each other. Kazuki promises that he will make a lunch box everyday for Kouki. Kouki promises that he will never skip school.

How are these scores produced? →