Identities in transit: free review of coming-of-age stories in Japanese cinema

The Japanese Cultural Institute in Rome offers an interesting review of contemporary Japanese cinema IDENTITY IN TRANSIT.

Below is the press release and the complete program of screenings:

The review Identity in transit (16 April – 31 May 2024) presents a selection of coming-of-age stories involving characters of all ages, genders and social classes: children, adolescents, young and old, students, athletes, musicians, aristocrats, thieves and the poor. Everyone grappling with a burning, uncomfortable contingent reality, sometimes just tiring, but what requires awareness and change in order to be managed and overcome.

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The story of Shoto, protagonist of Where I Belong (2016), a young petty thief who commits a crime and wanders for days in Miyazaki’s countryside before finding a place in the world to which he belongs and feels connected.
The context in which Hanako moves in is different Aristocrats (2021): the environment is that of the aristocratic bourgeoisie of Tokyo, which still aspires to arrange marriages for its offspring within a restricted circle of people of the same level, creating disturbances and triggering identity crises in the younger generations. An inner fire also shakes little Yuna, the fifteen-year-old protagonist of Mochi (2020) faced with the responsibility of preserving the ancient traditions of the land in which she was born, despite not yet feeling them entirely hers. The touching story of little Oshin, heroine of the film of the same name – Oshin (2013), based on a popular TV series – which tells the painful childhood of a seven-year-old girl, too poor to dream of going to school (we are at the beginning of the twentieth century) and enjoying the affection of her family.

Kenzaburo, the protagonist of, is almost 80 years old Swing Me Again (2010): the passion for music like a fire forged his identity as a trumpet player, then put to the test by an illness that kept him away from his band and from the dream of performing in a well-known jazz venue. In Little Nights, Little Love (2019) a 27-year-old boy is waiting for a dramatic moment, for a flame that makes him burn with love: too many indecisions and mental blocks do not allow him to have a clear vision of his feelings.

Another identity path, specifically Japanese, the one that leads very young aspirants to enter the world of sumo wrestlers, the subject of the documentary SUMODO – The Successors of Samurai – (2020): in the stables where rikishi (wrestlers) are trained, souls are forged, even before powerful bodies; we share the effort, the sacrifices and, above all, an ethic very similar to that of the samurai. Six feature films will be on display, some of which are national premieres, plus the precious documentary on sumo, made thanks to exclusive access to the schools and dohyō (circular rings) where the most famous wrestlers still active train and compete.

PROGRAM OF SCREENINGS

Where I Belong (original title Shabondama) Of Azuma Shinji – 2016, 108′ – subtitles in Italian
(Based on the short story of the same name by Asa Nonami)

Tuesday 16 April and Friday 17 May at 6pm

After being abandoned by his parents, Izumi grew up committing thefts, often to the detriment of women and the elderly. After yet another attack on a girl, he tries to evade the police by fleeing into the mountains of Miyazaki prefecture, where he comes across an injured elderly woman, Suma, from whom he will receive the familiar warmth he was deprived of during the childhood.

Aristocrats (original title Ano ko wa kizoku) Of Sode Yukiko – 2021, 124′ – subtitles in Italian

Thursday 18 April and Friday 10 May at 6pm

For Hanako, who grew up in a high-class and wealthy family, it is her duty to marry a man of equal social rank. Now, in her early twenties, after several meetings with potential suitors she seems to be looking forward to a happy marriage, but wealth – as we know – is not synonymous with happiness. A film that reveals the look at the contemporary reality of two women from different social backgrounds.

Mochi (original title Mochi) Of Komatsu Mayumi – 2018, 61′ – subtitles in Italian

Friday 19 April and Thursday 16 May at 6pm

In an era in which it is increasingly difficult to keep ancient customs alive among the younger generations, the docu-film Mochi by Komatsu Mayumi pays homage to the rural traditions of northern Japan (Ichinoseki prefecture), where at school we take care to still teach ancient dances, gastronomic recipes and local customs, such as beating rice to make sweets called mochi. The director, also known for her commercials and music videos, pays great attention to detail and the visual beauty of the shots.

Oshin (original title Oshin) Of Togashi Shin – 2013, 109′ – Italian subtitles

Tuesday 23 April and Tuesday 21 May at 6pm

1907, Yamagata Prefecture. Born into a family too poor to feed all her children, little Oshin was sent to work for a wealthy family at just seven years old. Her tenacity and desire to be useful will be put to the test by false and unfair accusations.

Swing Me Again (original title Futatabi) Of Shioya Toshi – 2010, 111′ – subtitles in Italian

Thursday 2 May and Friday 31 May at 6.00 pm

The elderly Kenzaburo, now seventy-eight years old, was the trumpeter of a legendary jazz band, but due to a serious illness he has spent the last 50 years in a sanatorium. Now he can finally return to his hometown and dreams of reuniting the members of his band, spread across various cities, and playing in a prestigious venue. Accompanying him on this adventure will be his nephew, also an aspiring jazz musician.

Little Nights, Little Love (original title Aine Kuraine Nahatomujiku) Of Imaizumi Rikiya – 2019, 119′ – subtitles in Italian

Friday 3 May and Thursday 30 May at 6pm

Sato is a twenty-seven-year-old single, employed in a market research company, and is waiting for the fateful moment of meeting his soulmate. He wonders why it will happen, how he will understand who the right person is, whether it is chance or predestination that gives birth to love. The film’s theme song is “Chiisana Yoru” (lit. little night) by the popular singer-songwriter Saito Kazuyoshi, who also appears in the film in the role of a street musician.

Sumodō – The Successors of Samurai (original title Sumodō – Samurai wo Tsugumono-tachi) Of Sakata Eiji – 2020, 103′ – subtitles in Italian

Thursday 9 May and Friday 24 May at 6pm

A documentary with rare access to the life behind the scenes of the most famous sumo wrestlers, the Japanese national sport with a thousand-year tradition. The fighters with powerful bodies, called rikishi, not only compete in physical matches, but are also involved in Shinto rituals learned in a long training course that draws on the stoic ethics of the samurai.

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CALENDAR – Schedule summary

Tuesday 16 April Where I Belong (Shabondama, 2016) by Azuma Shinji

Thursday 18 April Aristocrats (Ano ko wa kizoku, 2021) by Sode Yukiko

Friday 19 April Mochi (Mochi, 2020) by Komatsu Mayumi

Tuesday 23 April Oshin (Oshin, 2013) by Togashi Shin

Thursday 2 May Swing Me Again (Futatabi, 2010) by Shioya Toshi

Friday 3 May Little Nights, Little Love (Aine Kuraine Nahatomujiku, 2019) by Imaizumi Rikiya

Thursday 9 May Sumodō – The Successors of Samurai (Sumodō – Samurai wo Tsugumono-tachi, 2020) by Sakata Eiji

REPLICAS

Friday 10 May Aristocrats (Ano ko wa kizoku, 2021) by Sode Yukiko

Thursday 16 May Mochi (Mochi, 2020) by Komatsu Mayumi

Friday 17 May Where I Belong (Shabondama, 2016) by Azuma Shinji

Tuesday 21 May Oshin (Oshin, 2013) by Togashi Shin

Friday 24 May Sumodō – The Successors of Samurai (Sumodō – Samurai wo Tsugumono-tachi, 2020) by Sakata Eiji

Thursday 30 May Little Nights, Little Love (Aine Kuraine Nahatomujiku, 2019) by Imaizumi Rikiya

Friday 31 May Swing Me Again (Futatabi, 2010) by Shioya Toshi

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The Identità in transit review (16 April – 31 May 2024) is edited by Isabella Lapalorcia And Ayumi Kamuro (Japanese Cultural Institute).
Texts: Isabella Lapalorcia

All films belong to the Film Library of the Japanese Cultural Institute and are available for free loan to non-profit organizations and associations.
Info: [email protected]

Sources consulted:
Japanese Cultural Institute of Rome
Credits for images: ©2019 “Little Nights, Little Love” Film Partners, ©2020 “SUMODŌ: THE SUCCESSORS OF SAMURAI” Film Partners, ©Mariko Yamauchi/SHUEISHA, “Aristocrats” Film Partners, Mochi©Tabito-MAGAZINE HOUSE, Ltd., Oshin ©2013 OSHIN Film Partners, Swing Me Again ©2010 SMA Film Partners

Original version of the news