When a young man suddenly dies, those around him each have to find a way to cope with their loss in their own way. His father, a nonchalant rock star/stockbroker, finds it especially difficult.
Toad’s Oil, the directing debut of the celebrated Japanese actor Yakusho Koji, is a graceful and humorous portrait of a family in mourning. The eccentric share trader Yazawa Takuro has taught himself never to feel loss. 'Even when my shares plummet, I force myself to laugh, very deeply: "Hahaha!"'
When his son has a serious car crash, that attitude gets in his way. First he takes it out on a good friend of his son, the dunce Akiba, who has just been released from borstal. Because Yazawa himself doesn't dare face the facts, he doesn't dare tell his son's girlfriend either. She flirts on the phone with Yazawa, assuming she is speaking to his son.
A road trip will have to put the businessman back on the right track. A bizarre counterpoint on his quest for mental peace is formed by a pair of travelling quacks wearing traditional dress.