Born with It (2015) User Reviews

I don't like this movie, because It is too real.

[saoatama · 8/10 · 30 June 2018]

SPOILER: Born with it

I don't like this movie. It is too real. In Japanese school (or company or society), there are a phenomenon called Ijime, which people who belongs to a group ignore a member or talk behind her/his back. Protest is no use, because perpetrators are amused at the protest and more bully her/him. Some people think that victims of ijime have reasons to be bullied and not a few adults support this absurd thought. And victims whose pride are deeply hurt begin to think they may have good reason to be bullied. This movie shows this feeling vividly. Perpetraitors exactlly know what they do. They enjoy hurting someone and someone's agony but they don't think Ijime is dirty violence. It is said that children are innocent. Mean people are born with it. Villan in this movie is a typical peretrator of ijime. He says Keisuke is AIDS because he is "foreigner". He knows it hurts Keisuke but it is a joke for him because that joke hurts Keisuke not himself. And there are other perpetrators: other class mates who talk behind Keisuke's back. They know that "joke" is inappropriate but almost no one blame that mean boy. It is also common in Japan. I can feel this helpless atmosphere through screen. Keisuke cannot get out of this situation by himself as many bullied Japanese students do. His mother's irresponsible encouragement and indecisive information about AIDS his friend finds on internet will not help him. I know Keisuke's school days ends up in tragedy. There's no hope unless perpetrators change.

Born with it

[Enustik · 7/10 · 9 July 2018]

Born with it, a short film directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, brings to the screen a theme that is not often discussed: the prejudice against half Japanese living in Japan. It tells the story of a half Japanese half black young kid attending his first day at school. As soon as he enters the room, a classmate states that since he is black, he probably has AIDS. From then on, not only he is not recognized as Japanese, but he is also avoided by other children, since they believe he is sick. The last scene is particularly touching: before entering the school, he faces his reflection on the door's glass, and when he goes inside, the shot stays fixed on the place he was before, and we can hear a sea of whispers - the whispers that this kid will have to live with during his whole life. This short film reminds me of a Japanese film - Swallowtail Butterfly, that, in a more comic way, portrays a character that, even though he was born and raised in Japan and can speak only Japanese, since both his parents are American, he is never recognized as Japanese. In the case of Born with it, Keisuke has to deal not only with the fact that he will always be seen as a foreigner, but also with racial prejudice. The prejudice raised by the fact that Japanese society denies anyone with physical characteristics different from the standard, and the impact of this point of view on people's lives is an issue for Japanese contemporary society, and this short film portrays it in a clear way.

What a sarcasm

[faiij · 7/10 · 11 July 2018]

This movie is about a primary school African-Japanese boy who moves to countryside because of his parent's work. He is suspected to have a disease by everyone since he is black, so he tries to prove that he is normal. The movie makes us want to keep up with the boy's decision and his school life. This film narrates Japanese society in primary school that foreigners get discriminated because of their different appearance. Moreover, this movie is really relatable to a foreigner living in Japan like me. However, the film is not as stressful as its plot. It has a little bit of humors of how innocent the kids are. One thing I do not like about this short film is that, since there are some funny scenes in this film, some scenes seem to be unnecessary. From my point of view, this movie can be shorter, but it is acceptable and able to attract the audience to watch it until the end. so far I recommend you guys watching this especially those who are interested in Japanese society and want to get to know more about it.

for my review

[sayakano · 10/10 · 4 March 2019]

This film represents what is happening in current elemantary school. In recent years, the more time we spend, the more bullying becomes complicated. Sometimes we do not find any effective solutions even if teachers know the situation. In this film, one hafu boy had been bullied by others and could not overcome his terrible situation. The end does not contain anything happy. The conversation between others has the word 'AIDS', which show the cruelty of young children who do not know 'AIDS' itself enough. His mother tries to make him be convinced that he should have confidence in himself, though he could not. Via this film, I learned how the current bullying is happening and how hafu children sometimes are discriminated in school. I think if the end of the film is sad, it can also impact on the audience differently from happy films. This means that any ends of the film play a role in giving people various emotion.

A realistic take on discrimination among Japanese youth

[velianne-87204 · 10/10 · 11 July 2018]

A young Japanese black skinned boy named Keisuke moves to the countryside with his mother and enters a new school as a transfer student. Due to his skin color and "non-typical Japanese" features, he starts getting bullied by his young classmates. Having difficulties coping with his classmates' remarks, he will however find comfort in his mother's words but also in a new and unexpected friendship.

I can say without a doubt that I really enjoyed this short Japanese film. Discrimination against "half" children in Japan has been a real social problem for years, and even with Japan opening its borders and mindset more and more as years pass, hurtful remarks and stereotyping remains a problem, particularly in the Japanese countryside, where diversity is scarce. Not a lot of films shine the light on this problem, but "Born with It" does and does it in a very realistic and touching manner. Indeed, Keisuke's daily life in the school seems relatable for any other half children that have been through the same kind of bullying. But the main aspect that touched me was the fact that the story doesn't take the simple way out for its ending and remains very realistic. Finally, the cinematography of the film was in my opinion really aesthetic, with colors more in the darker tones, fitting the seriousness of the issue touched upon. In the same way I also found the light music heard throughout the film to be really fitting.

realism becoming poetry

[Kirpianuscus · 1 August 2018]

A film about racism. and bullying . and discrimination. and guilty. and integration . realistic for the performance of child actors. for photography. and for the delicacy defining it as Japanes film more than any other detail. a boy. and his classmates. a rumour. and the simplicity transforming the film in a sort of poem about self confidence, roots and the other. important - its universal message.

Enlightening

[aci_J · 6/10 · 27 June 2018]

If you listened to popular discourse, you'd probably think that race relations aren't a problem in modern Japan - yet many mixed raced citizens suffer in spite of this, and it's up to films such as 'Born With It' to bring the issue to light. The film follows half-Japanese, half-black Keisuke as he transfers to a new school in the countryside, having to deal with prejudice from his classmates and finding out about who he is in the process. Such a heavy issue as race relations could've made this film rather heavy, but luckily the great script and some surprisingly good child acting inject this film with a good sense of humor and a healthy dose of heart. That being said, there are some moments where the message of the film is stated verbatim by the characters, making it come across as less intelligent than it actually is. The cinematography also sometimes lends a hand in putting across the message with some good framing, but often feels slightly flat due to long cuts and static camera positions. Hopefully, this film will inspire others to explore this as of yet unexplored issue, even if it isn't amazing in and of itself.

Ignorance and difference

[Jirorian · 10/10 · 20 June 2018]

A venture into the difficulties cultural homogeneity bears upon those who do not completely fit inside the social structures that define the common experience, in this case being that of the so-called peace and uniformity typically associated with the Japanese countryside, 'Born With It' tells of a boy with a racially mixed background struggling to comprehend the overwhelming social forces that push him into isolation, and prevent him from being accepted by his classmates as their equal in regards to his Japanese identity. The children's reactions being portrayed as a natural course of events highlights the degree to which notions of race are inherently embedded within the Japanese psyche and nation's sense of itself, which in this case differs from the history of segregation and suppression that Western viewers will be quick to identify with, because the Japanese children staring at the coloured boy are purely coming from a place of ignorance. Their realities are only understood in adherence with the world that they have been exposed to, which hinders their abilities to comprehend anything that they cannot immediately identify with. As a result, their understanding of what it means to be black is limited to the concept that colour must be a distinguishing feature of their preconceived notions of nationality, ethnicity, language, and identity. The issue here is that these notions are historically constructed notions purely for the sake of identifying difference, and as we come to realise that difference itself actually bears less presence in reality than the terminology and systems through which we are accustomed to seeing it, we realise the need for the terminology and systems to be adjusted. In the meantime, we must gradually overcome the direct effects had on those who are victimised by these falsified senses of reality, as candidly brought to screen in 'Born With It'.

Too much of an inconclusive ending

[biareisschmidt · 7/10 · 4 July 2018]

The idea of making a film about discrimination in Japan was pertinent, and trying to put this heavy theme in a story where the main characters are children was risky, but well done. The actors were convincing, in my opinion. But the storyline was maybe too complex for a short film; what I felt was that it ended abruptly, just because it was getting too long. I mean, there might be people who like open endings; I don't. The fact that we never get to know if the kids stop the bullying or not bothers me. Even though, just the content of it made me appreciate the film.

Important topic and good visuals

[khnerostar · 9/10 · 25 June 2018]

This film is about a mixed black and Japanese boy who enters in a Japanese school. There, he feels rejected and the rejection from the other Japanese children, something that will make him realize who he is with the help of his mother and his new Japanese friend. I really liked this short film, it was very emotive and it is about the bullying, a subject which is really important in society nowadays.

I do not know really well about this topic because I am not a racialized person, but I really think that this film shows a reality which we do not talk about too much. Also, the fact that the film is situated in a small village helps us to realize that the situation is even worse as, for example, in cities like Tokyo where people are more used to different skin colored people. Also, it reflects a society which does not have a lot of education between children about AIDS.

The fact that the boy is half black is a really good decision in my opinion. If it was a white person, the feeling would not be the same as they are seen as "cool" sometimes, but black people are still not well accepted all over the world, and this is a really well way to criticise it. Finally, point that the character of the mother is my favourite as she brings the film a really warm feeling and makes us take the child's position even more. The acting of all the characters was really good and the film itself was very aesthetically pleasant.

nice one

[silvayuki · 6/10 · 1 March 2019]

The short film Born with it is a story about a boy who is half Japanese. It shows a typical example of racial discrimination. The students judge the boy's status only by his appearance. They say he has AIDS since his skin is black and stay away from him. These behaviors are cruel because they break the victim's life. Most of the cast are children in this film, but their acting is very good. Therefore, I was able to feel the cruelty of such behaviors clearly and I felt uncomfortable even though it is a fiction. In the world, discrimination has not disappeared yet. When I go study abroad, I may be discriminated by someone or see other people is discriminated. Then, I would like to have confidence in myself and fight against it since discrimination is not eliminated if I surrender. This short film gives me the opportunity to think about such an important thing.

Thinking about the otherness in Japan

[Neradea33 · 9/10 · 20 June 2018]

Born with it is the story of a young black Japanese boy, Keisuke, who arrives in a new school in the Japanese countryside. His arrival is really shocking for the other pupils in the class who do not understand why he speaks Japanese so fluently. Indeed, to them you can not be black and be Japanese at the same time. The short film thus exposes a lot of school discriminations associated to skin color through the example of Keisuke. Among all of the pupils, only one little boy wants to play with Keisuke. Therefore, during the short movie we can feel the loneliness of the character and the pain associated to stereotypes and racism. What is really interesting in terms of screenwriting is how, despite the static situation the main character undergoes an inner conflict that he's going to solve. Indeed, Keisuke is firstly submissive to attacks and insults and ends up believing them while at the end he looks confident about who he is. So the contrast between a static situation (racism is not going to be solved in 15 minutes) and the character's inner conflict is really interesting. If you feel like thinking about deep social issues in Japan while watching a movie I would highly recommend this one !

Blurred ending

[m28l17d · 6/10 · 28 February 2019]

This short movie is about discrimination based on people's background and appearance. The main character is a boy who is half Japanese and half black. He is moved to the rural area from Tokyo, and since local people there are not familiar with foreigners and black people, the boy is discriminated because of his looking. His classmates keep saying such as "why can you speak Japanese?" "You must have AIDS. Don't come here." The boy starts shutting his mind to other people and losing his confidence. Others bully him, and he runs away from the school. He talks about his mother that he is bullied by saying he is AIDS because he is black, and they go to a hospital together. The doctor tells them that the boy is healthy. With the proof, he goes to the school to tell his classmates that he is healthy, and opening the door with hesitation was the last clip of the movie. It shows the discrimination issue in Japan, especially in rural areas, so about this point, I think it is a good movie. However, it is doubtful that elementally school students know about the disease and discriminate others based on their knowledge. In addition to that, the ending is not the way that I expect. I assume that he tells his classmates and overcome his problems, but the ending was a little bit blurred.

It's really a good opportunity to talk about racial issues in Japan

[momorytm · 5/10 · 25 February 2019]

A boy of African descent moves to a new school because of his mother's work. When he meets his classmates, he faces a challenge regarding his skin color. I like this film at first because I'm interested in a problem associating with race and ethnicity. I think it is going to be a boy challenging the racial discrimination he faced, overcoming the challenge, and becoming proud of who he is. But, it turns out to end at the middle of this scenario where he is about to overcome the challenge. Sometimes, filmmakers leave the scene the protagonist is about to overcome his/her problem and make the audience wonder what is going to happen to him/her. I like the strategy but I guess it doesn't work in this film. The last scene is too ambiguous. I cannot see what his mother is thinking and why another kind boy in class is so nice to him. It leaves me with many questions and makes me kind of disappointed. Regarding the camera work, the first scene is a little bit too much to show the audience the theme of the film. The camera shoots the boy's appearance a lot. It is important to imply a message with visual images but I think it is too much. Overall, I like the idea of this film. I like how it shows from perspectives of Japanese children looking at "hafu Japanese." But, the story is a little bit vague, and I do not like how the first and last scene are made.

a story about fighting

[moenjeruu · 9/10 · 10 July 2018]

'Born With It' tells the story of a hafu boy, half-black and half-Japanese. He is judged by his peers on the first of school and isolated because they are prejudiced against his race. They believe that because he is black, he is ill. Only one boy decides to give him a chance. Before watching this, I knew about the discrimination against hafus, but I didn't think it will go as far as discriminating against children. I believe he had a harder time because he was ostensibly non-Japanese, since Japanese-looking hafus are easier to accept by the general population. The movie was lovely, though. Very straight forward and with a clear story. It made me tear up and by the end of it I was cheering the boy. The story made me want the boy to succeed in a society which rejected him for something he couldn't control. I think it was impossible not to sympathise with the main character.

Racial problems in Japan truly reflected

[qingruivic-25161 · 9/10 · 11 July 2018]

"Why can you speak Japanese?" "Because I am Japanese." This dialogue happens between protagonist of this film, Keisuke and his classmate on the first day at his new elementary school, while he is introducing himself to his class. The class collectively reacts to Keisuke's answer with a confused sound. Apparently, it is hard for Japanese people to view him as a 'real' Japanese because his dark skin. It is hilarious at the first, but then I am also surprised at how accurately it reflects the racism in Japan. A person of another race can never be truly accepted by Japanese society. In Japan there are a lot of Japanese people who are culturally Japanese but mixed race, have never lived anywhere else in their life, and don't speak any other languages. However, they are still viewed as foreigners. As a social problem, it has already been recognized and discussed in public but there is not a big change so far, which is a bit heartbreaking.

Also, I personally like the snow in the scene where eventually Keisuke makes up his mind, taking a brave step to go back to class to cope with all the problems, which is also a symbol of Keisuke standing up in the difficult situation and trying not to be defeated to me. I like the ending of this film as well. It stops at the point when Keisuke enters classroom. Although it is kind of sudden for audiences who might be expecting the reaction of Keisuke's classmates, but this stop is actually appropriate when it is considered as an open ending which gives space to free imagination.

What is true, appearance or inside?

[kasumiwater · 27 June 2018]

A half black Japanese boy, Keisuke, moves to countryside from downtown Tokyo. He faces discrimination because of his skin color, but he decides to prove them wrong and sure he's not scary through his behavior. The theme of this film must be racism or any kind of discrimination triggered by physical differences. Indeed, in Japan, people who does not match a Japanese typical appearance often treated differently, which is said to be more obvious in countryside. Though I thought lines might be unnatural as kids and other characters spoke too formally, I like the idea itself. I believe it is very meaningful to discuss the topic in the short film, and found it interesting to tell a story through the children's eyes. If you are interested in social issues related to ethnicity especially in Japan, this short film is highly recommended; just be aware of exaggerated expression. But even if you are not very much keen to know about the matter, this short film would still leave you with a good motivation as the protagonist tries to overcome his difficulty.

Transfer student

[ohkf · 6/10 · 30 December 2021]

"Born with It" is a short film from 2018, directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour. Keisuke is a transfer student from Tokyo. At the new school, he has struggles with becoming attached with his classmates, because his skin color is different from other kids. The classmates bully him because they think he has disease. He tries to discover if he actually has disease or not, and through the conversations with one of his classmates, his mother, and a doctor, he starts to think about his identity. We understand that it is not easy for foreigner to adapt into new community, and the difference in appearance would be the biggest barrier. The film focuses on how the boy struggles to join to his new community and how he face his difficulties. There is a reality that the minority has little power to foreign community, and they are often forced to change themselves to join it.

Realistically touching.

[Wheepuppy · 9/10 · 2 July 2018]

In the countryside of Japan, a black kid raised by a white Japanese mother has to deal with the tough task of attending school, a place where kids are mean and do not hesitate on spreading mean rumours about the unusual (in Japanese countryside) skin color of the new student, which the other children immediately relate to AIDS. All the dialogue is in Japanese, but there are English subtitles available to follow every conversation they have. The fact that they only use Japanese is well used by the screenwriters to portray how the fact that the black kid even speaks their language is not enough to validate him and integrate him in the group as what he is, a Japanese. Thus, the theme of the movie touched me deeply till the point I ended up in tears, what I see as a sign of a really good job in the task of getting viewers inspired and provoking an emotional response on them. Most of the films which treat this kind of delicate topics (minorities, discrimination, etc) very often disappoint me for the way they are portrayed, making evident the lack of knowledge on the matter they are trying to create a story about. But this was not the case. Born with it shows a real approach to the difficulties minorities have to face in society, not only in Japanese countryside but also over the world, where is so difficult to fit in due to the really hard normalized social standards. The message was clear and the kids did a great job with the acting, something I also liked about the movie. It did not fail to make evident how even the most innocent side of society, children, can be really mean in discrimination matters, and even how teachers most of the time are not helpful and supportive enough to those kids being discriminated against. To sum up, I really enjoyed watching this movie, the music, the acting, the camera movements and shots, everything worked together to make possible to transmit a deep and emotional message. It touches your heart and makes you empathise with problems which are not shown enough on the screen.

concerning

[mvrv33 · 7/10 · 5 December 2021]

In "Born with It" a Japanese-African elementary school pupil deals with racism he faces in and outside of school. The protagonist is being bullied by his classmates who eventually make him believe he is suffering from AIDS merely because of the color of his skin. It is not entirely clear where the main character's classmates get the idea that AIDS is related to skin color. When the two boys search the issue on the internet no people of other ethnicities besides black people are depicted. There seems to be a major misrepresentation going on. I am a little disappointed in the last scene. When Keisuke returns to school we hear other students whispering. Personally, I would have liked some sort of resolution at the end. When I was watching this short film, I was wondering if the depiction of discriminatory behavior against people of color in Japanese schools is really accurate. If that's the case, then this movie gives reason for concern. Overall, the film deals with an important topic and gives insight into the obstacles biracial people face in Japan.

Good view and insight on bullying in Japan

[justinforcier · 10/10 · 11 July 2018]

Born with it

Born with it is a film with a good moral lesson for representing to audiences what many Japanese children face everyday in Japanese schools.

The film is of a young Japanese/African American (or referred to in Japan as Hafu) boy and the discrimination he faces at elementary school because of his skin color.

The acting was well done and does well to show the public the prejudice found in Japanese schools. The production was also good. The main purpose and goal of this film doesn't seem to be aiming for awards but more for showing the Japanese public and social media this controversial issues in Japanese schools.

I would recommend this film for not only Japanese but everyone for a good view and insight on bullying.

Perseverance

[Pimpkingirl00 · 7/10 · 3 December 2021]

A child who has a different skin color than other students comes to a new school because of his mother's work. There, he meets discriminations as a foreigner. I think this film is a little older, that's why children don't know there are some races in their country or planet. Children tend to reject accepting people who have different characters. I don't take to this movie, because there is no scene of apologizing to him by other students. And he doesn't handle matters himself. But we can realize the lack of education in schools. We and also children learn a lot of things in each school year by year, but there is no chance and time to learn about sensitive problems. Unless people try to see the situation, our life won't change, and we can't become familiar with diversity. I want to recommend that teachers watch this movie and make them consider how things have changed now compared to the past.

A touching one

[Gospel97 · 9/10 · 3 July 2018]

An impactful short that shows the day to day life of many people like the main character and the struggles that go unnoticed. A black Japanese boy moves from Tokyo to a small village and starts anew in an old school. He discovers that being different in an old-fashioned place has consequences that he couldn't have imagined.

It's a well-paced short, one in which you can see how the kids start bullying the main character and how he slowly starts believing them. It's a continuous process that is represented by the typical Japanese mask that is used when someone is sick. The kids bullying the main character give it to him so he doesn't spread his disease. At first, the kid doesn't put it on, but as the short progresses, we see how his confidence starts crumbling.

Despite the sad connotations of the short, it's really heartwarming to see a few short, but special moments within it that show that there's still hope. That not everyone is out to get somebody. This short is a small jewel that should be recognized for speaking out about the reality of many mixed-race children in Japan.

Two exclusion

[pinefgsgsu · 6/10 · 24 December 2021]

"Born with it" is a Japanese short drama film. Keisuke moves school to a country area from Tokyo. He is slandered that he has AIDS from the first day because of his appearance. Only one student speaks to Keisuke, but Keisuke can't stand the behavior of the others any more and he escape from school. He takes action due to the encouragement from his mother.

I think there are two kinds of exclusion.

First, there is exclusion for newcomer. I suppose it is particular to suburb area. Keisuke is from Tokyo. As far as the movie, he doesn't have an acquaintance, so he doesn't belong to the community in this area. As a result, he is excluded as a stranger.

Second, there is exclusion for the 'other' existence. His appearance has different points from the Japanese majority. Furthermore, he only has a mother. I think the single parent family is looked on coldly because I believe there is still prejudice in Japan.

However, exclusion because of his appearance is not particular in suburb area. I think Japanese people still have the assumption that Japan is a single ethnic group, so the person who has the appearance which differs from the majority of Japanese people is judged that the person is different from Japanese.

The film was thought provoking and I want to recommend it.

a realistic movie

[ruckingham · 9/10 · 20 June 2018]

This short movie shakes my heart. This is about Japanese discrimination against black people. Main character is a black boy with Japanese mother. His black father already died. When he goes to new elementary school in country side of Japan, he is made fun of his skin color by his classmates. He doesn't like the situation and run away from the school, but his mother encourages him to go to school.

When I saw it, I felt like crying. I couldn't believe that it is real of Japan. I think that there is no racial discrimination in Japan. However, this movie expresses reality. Moreover, I was surprised that one of my classmates has the same experience.

I will explain from the point of screen writing. This movie's construction is very nice. This is overcoming type movie. That is a main character has problem, but s/he overcome it at the last. Speaking of this movie, the boy has problem that he is black and being discriminated. Once, he runs from the situation. However, his mother gives him a chance to overcome the situation. In this point, her role is important. Without her, he will never be able to conquer the problem.