Yoriko (Tsutsui Mariko) leads a mundane but peaceful life caring for her husband Osamu (MitsuishiI Ken), her son Takuya (Isomura Hayato), and her bedridden father-in-law. That is, until her husband suddenly disappears, fearful of radiation poisoning in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, and her son leaves for university.

Feeling abandoned, Yoriko devotes herself to a new religion known as “Ryokumei-kai.” The group returns to Yoriko the company and sense of belonging she had been lacking, and she begins to once again feel satisfied with life, but her peace is disturbed when Osamu and Takuya return, and their respective reasons for doing so drive Yoriko to breaking point.

Directed by Ogigami Naoko, one of Japan’s most prolific female directors, Ripples is an expert blend of tragedy and dark humour that shines a spotlight on many of the social issues ordinary Japanese people face today, from the suffering of women and the burden of caregiving to cults, ableism, and the anxiety of life after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.