A lot of weight indeed. ...maybe Tamotsu is a year or two younger or older, we didn't catch his age. In any case, he lives with his mother, who is slowly spiraling into despair and misery after her husband suddenly disappeared without a trace.
Desperate to find meaning and purpose after her world has been blown apart, the mother joins an evangelical group not entirely unlike the Jehovah's Witnesses, and begins going from door to door, distributing pamphlets and dragging Tamotsu along with her. Tamotsu is bright and, except for a few early scenes in which he engages in bullying ("ijime", a chronic problem in Japan), remarkably gentle and good-natured. But his mother's missionary zeal begins to take a toll on him and on their relationship.
Another member of the religious group has a daughter, Kanon, several years older than Tamotsu, obviously not biologically Japanese (but with impeccable Japanese language skills) and also not as innocent, but who begins to pull Tamotsu in a wholly different direction.
We thought this film excellent in nearly all respects. It is quite believable, the performances are uniformly compelling, the dilemmas presented are natural and uncontrived. Some reviews I read criticized it as too "heavy" or "grim" in nature. That is fair, I guess; much of the story is essentially the reactions of people to a woman who is slowly but inexorably veering toward insanity. But it is not relentlessly dark; there are lighter moments, right up till the end.
Highly recommended.
Desperate to find meaning and purpose after her world has been blown apart, the mother joins an evangelical group not entirely unlike the Jehovah's Witnesses, and begins going from door to door, distributing pamphlets and dragging Tamotsu along with her. Tamotsu is bright and, except for a few early scenes in which he engages in bullying ("ijime", a chronic problem in Japan), remarkably gentle and good-natured. But his mother's missionary zeal begins to take a toll on him and on their relationship.
Another member of the religious group has a daughter, Kanon, several years older than Tamotsu, obviously not biologically Japanese (but with impeccable Japanese language skills) and also not as innocent, but who begins to pull Tamotsu in a wholly different direction.
We thought this film excellent in nearly all respects. It is quite believable, the performances are uniformly compelling, the dilemmas presented are natural and uncontrived. Some reviews I read criticized it as too "heavy" or "grim" in nature. That is fair, I guess; much of the story is essentially the reactions of people to a woman who is slowly but inexorably veering toward insanity. But it is not relentlessly dark; there are lighter moments, right up till the end.
Highly recommended.
