Wednesday, February 08, 2017, 18:45 - 21:30
A modern family forms, and struggles to find its footing
Sneak Preview Screening: "Close-Knit (Karera ga Honki de Amu Tokiwa)"
featuring a Q&A with director Naoko Ogigami
Wednesday, February 8 at 6:45 pm*
*Please note early start time / Q&A in English
In Japanese with English subtitles
Japan, 2017 127 minutes
Directed by: Naoko Ogigami
Written by: Naoko Ogigami
Produced by: Kumi Kobata, Mayumi Amano, Noriaki Takagi, Masashi Igarashi,
Kenzo Ishiguro
Starring: Toma Ikuta, Kenta Kiritani, Rinka Kakihara, Mimura, Eiko Koike,
Mugi Kadowaki, Shuuji Kashiwabara, Kaito Komie, Lily, Misako Tanaka
Film courtesy of Suurkiitos
Singular writer-director Naoko Ogigami became one of Japan's most internationally acclaimed female helmers following the 2006 release of "Kamome Diner," the story of three Japanese women who open a restaurant in Helsinki. Her sophomore work, "Megane - Glasses," about frazzled city dwellers who find release in Okinawa, won the Manfred Salzberger Award at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival for "broadening the boundaries of cinema today." The polar opposite of noisy, action-packed, big-ticket films, Ogigami's gentle stories about amiable characters (usually portrayed by non-marquee names), quirky situations, culture clashes and the gradual achievement of self-realization have proven to be popular with audiences everywhere. So unusual are her stories, so Japan-specific and yet so universal, that Ogigami has been credited with starting a genre of her own, "iyashi-kei eiga," or "films that promote emotional healing."
"Close-Knit" is the writer-director's first new release in five years, and one of the first Japanese films to feature a sexual minority as its main character. That character is played, in a groundbreaking performance of extraordinary sensitivity and charm, by megastar Toma Ikuta ("The Mole Song," "The Top Secret: Murder in Mind"). In a story inspired by Ogigami's stay in the US after becoming a mother, "Close-Knit" celebrates a greater understanding of LGBTQ issues, and proposes - quietly, convincingly - a rethinking of the very concept of family.
Fifth-grader Tomo (Kakihara) lives with her often-absent mother Hiromi (Mimura) in a messy apartment in a faceless apartment block. When Hiromi runs off with a man one day, Tomo heads for her uncle Makio's (Kiritani) place. There, she meets his beautiful girlfriend Rinko (Ikuta), who warmly welcomes her and proves to be a much better mother than her own. But Rinko is transgender, and soon, Tomo is bullied by classmates for her new "weird family" and her mother's abandonment. When Tomo fights back and the police are called, Rinko helps calm her by showing her how to knit, working out her anger with each stitch. Rinko herself has been knitting strange objects that she terms her "worldly desires." When she has made a certain number of them, she says, she will conduct a "manhood memorial service," and file papers to legally change her gender. With Makio and Tomo's support, Rinko will not only reach her goal, but also be inspired to push for dreams that she thought were outside her reach. But in Japan, where LGBTQ issues are less prominent than elsewhere, Rinko does not have the same rights as other women…
Please join us for this sneak preview of the wonderfully warm, witty and wise "Close-Knit" ahead of its Japanese release on February 25.
For more (in Japanese): http://kareamu.com
NAOKO OGIGAMI earned a graduate degree in Film at the University of Southern California and won instant acclaim for her directorial debut, "Barber Yoshino" (2003), which earned a Special Mention at the Kinder Film Fest of the Berlin International Film Festival. Her 2006 "Kamome Diner" became a huge hit, and "Megane – Glasses" (2007) earned attention at such international festivals as Berlin, Sundance, Hong Kong and San Francisco. "Toilet" (2010) received an award from Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs, and "Rent-a-Cat" (2012) was featured in the Panorama section of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.
Please make your reservations at the FCCJ Reception Desk (3211-3161) or register below. You may attend the Q&A session without attending the screening, but you will not have seating priority. Please reserve in advance, still & TV cameras inclusive. All film screenings are private, noncommercial events primarily for FCCJ members and their guests.
- Karen Severns, Film Committee
