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Tsugaru Lacquer Girl film image

Tsugaru Lacquer Girl

バカ塗りの娘

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North American Premiere

Keiko Tsuruoka’s film is at once traditional and contemporary: it gently mixes present-day gender and sexuality politics with the old-fashioned Japanese domestic drama. Traditional lacquerwork kitchenware is the Aoki family’s legacy, handed down to patriarch Seishiro (Kaoru Kobayashi) by his now-ailing father (Masayuki Suzuki). Seishiro expects to pass it in turn to his son Yu (Ryota Bando), but Yu has no interest in the craft—quite unlike daughter Miyako (Mayu Hotta), who loves it dearly. The stage is set for conflict, as established cultural traditions collide with modern mores…

Tsugaru Lacquer Girl features fine performances from its ensemble cast. As the father, Kobayashi assumes a mask of stern stoicism that melts slowly but surely; another player of note is Toshiya Miyata as Yu’s kindly boyfriend. Hotta, however, is the centre of the film, and her performance as the heroine is at once gentle and luminous. Like the artisans that are his subject, Tsuruoka has crafted a modest but beautiful work; sit back, relax, and let it warm your heart.

 

October 4 & 6: Q&A with director Keiko Tsuruoka

 

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Director
Cast

Mayu Hotta, Ryota Bando, Toshiya Miyata, Reiko Kataoka, Kaoru Kobayashi

Credits
Country of Origin

Japan

Year

2023

Series

Panorama

Language

In Japanese with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
G
118 min
Drama LGBTQIA2S+ Women Directors

Book Tickets

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Credits

Producer

Natsuko Mori, Hitoshi Endo, Tatsuya Matsuoka, Koichiro Fukuoka

Screenwriter

Keiko Tsuruoka, Kensaku Kojima

Cinematography

Wataru Takahashi

Editor

Shinichi Fushima

Production Design

Hinako Kasuga

Original Music

Hiroki Nakano

Director

Keiko Tsuruoka headshot

Keiko Tsuruoka

Born in Nagano Prefecture in 1988, Keiko Tsuruoka began making movies while attending Rikkyo University. Her graduation work, Town of Whales (2012), won the Grand Prize at the 2012 PIA Film Festival and was shown at the Berlin IFF, the Busan IFF and many other film festivals around the world. She directed her second film My First Love (2013), which was presented at the Vancouver International Film Festival.

Filmography: Town of Whales (2012); My First Love (2013); Lingering Memories (2015); Utsuroi no hyohonbako (2016); Makuko (2019)

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