The TIFF Bell Lightbox started screening “Our Little Sister”, a Japanese film directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. It was first released in Japan back in June 2015 and it’s based off the popular manga series Umimachi Diary that was created by Akimi Yoshida.
The film featured three sisters (Sachi, Yoshino and Chika) who deal with the news of their estranged father’s death. The three sisters aren’t pleased to dredge up memories of a man who left them 15 years ago but they must face the news once they discover that their father left behind a teenage daughter (Suzu). With no one left to care for the teenager, the three sisters decide to take her in and get to know their younger half-sister. The film focused on the bonds within family as they struggled with finding a dynamic that made all four sisters comfortable with one another. These sisterly bonds were tested when outside relationships took form and impacted the sisters in different ways.
The eldest of the sisters is 29 year old Sachi Kouda (Haruka Ayase), who feels responsible for caring for her younger sisters and for the house they were left with after their parents left them. Because of this, Sachi is the most restrained and calculating of her sisters as every decision she makes has to include the fallout for her sisters. Sachi works at the hospital as a nurse who gets promoted to work in the terminal illness ward, which truly tests her ability to remain professional while always surrounded by death. At work, Sachi forms a very close relationship with Dr. Kazuya Shiina (Shinichi Tsutsumi). Sachi confides to Kazuya about her troubles and an affair forms between them. Unfortunately, this relationship forces Sachi to revisit the reasons why her father left their family 15 years ago.
The middle sister is 22 year old Yoshino Kouda (Masami Nagasawa), who is the free spirit that would rather date or drink her sorrows away instead of applying herself to her job at the bank. Yoshino has the reputation of getting into bad romances while she has dreams of leaving the countryside and living away from her sisters and the traditions that come with them. At work, Yoshino turns things around after working closely with Minami Sakashita (Ryo Kase) as they take on long-term financial cases together. Yoshino becomes more driven to help when she’s assigned to help Sachiko Ninomiya (Jun Fubuki), the owner of the popular diner she went to as a child with her sisters.
The youngest sister is 19 year old Chika Kouda (Kaho), who is the most athletic and adventurous of her sisters with dreams to embark on many journeys. Chika works alongside her manager boyfriend, Sanzo Hamada (Takafumi Ikeda), at the local sports hardware store. Despite her age, Chika is still considered a child among her older sisters despite always being the referee between the two of them. With the carefree attitude and her endless dreams for an adventure, Chika welcomes Suzu with open arms as they bond on them being the youngest, their love for soccer and for the love and wonderment they have for their late father.
And finally the newest edition to the family is Suzu Asano (Suzu Hirose). Suzu is the product of an affair that her parents had which torn her father away from the family he had with her three half-sisters. At 14 years old, Suzu cared for her dying father until his final days. It was only at his funeral did she meet her older sisters, who invite her to stay with them. This invitation forces Suzu to figure out where and how she belongs with her sisters while also trying to figure out her place within this new city. While trying to find her balance with her sisters, Suzu forms a bond with Futa Ozaki (Oshiro Maeda), a fellow classmate and the captain of her new soccer team. Suzu confides in Futa about her father (something she’s not comfortable doing with her sisters) while Futa talks about his own doubts about his family dynamic with her.
The film also featured appearances by Shinobu Otake (Miyako Sasaki; mother of the three sisters), Kirin Kiki (Fumiyo Kikuchi; great aunt to the three sisters), Kentaro Sakaguchi (Tomoaki Fujji; Yoshino’s boyfriend), Ryohei Suzuki (Doctor Yasuyuki Inoue; Suzu’s soccer coach) and Lily Franky (Senichi Fukuda; owner of another diner).
The film’s portrayal of the inner struggles of life, love and loss that the sisters’ experienced together were done in a way that showcased the array of reactions that they went through separately before coming together and facing them as a unit. It truly showed that overtime, the biggest of obstacles can be overcome when not faced alone and that above all that family could make the toughest of times just a little bit easier to handle.
Original Title: Umimachi Diary
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Writer: Akimi Yoshida (manga)
Screenplay: Hirokazu Koreeda
Country of Origin: Japan
Language: Japanese
Length: 128 minutes
Original Release: June 13, 2015
Publication Note:
This was published for AsianWave Magazine.
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