Close-knit (2017)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2017
	Director: Ogigami Naoko
	Actors: Toma Ikuta, Kenta Kiritani, Rinka Kakihara, Mimura, Lily
	Country: J
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 23.04.2017, Teatro Nuovo, FEFF2017
Synopsis: Hiromi (Mimura), who is the mother of an 11-year-old girl Tomo (Rinka), left home. Tomo is accustomed to such a mother and as always went to Makio's (Kenta) place. He is a brother of Hiromi and lives with Rinko (Toma), a pretty girlfriend. Actually, Rinko is a transwoman. She works as a nurse in a retirement home where Makio's mother Sayuri (Lily) who suffers from dementia is living. Rinko makes a delicious meal and sometimes cuddles Tomo. Tomo is a little confused at the beginning, but start to like this life together as a family. One day Rinko teaches Tomo to knit to control her temper. Rinko was also taught by her mother at the age of puberty when she struggled with her sexuality.
Review: Unlike the Almodovar and most of the movies presenting transgender, there is no extravagance in being transgender. There is no freak show or justification by parental abuse. It presents quiet persons. And Rinko is explaining that he felt as a girl when young and that after his parents accepted it, he was able to live fully as a she. If the goal was to normalize the LGBT people within the society, it is perfectly achieved! The normalization happens into a quite conservative family picture, where the woman cooks and knit but also work, and the father works and does not make much at home. The story compares rather the quiet and nice Rinko as trans with the sinful mother Hiromi who abandons her mother, her daughter without warning and did not take care about Tomo anyway.  The story telling and acting are very subtle, transporting strong emotions via silences or simple gestures such as sit next to someone, knitting together, walking together. The dialogues are also very well written so that without being rude, it goes directly to the critical questions about being transgender, about accepting them, about educating children, about taking care of elderly. One funny unexpected recurrent phrase is "They should give a Nobel prize to the inventor of beer.". The acting of Toma is as the story telling, very subtle. And the complete network of relationships is acted with authenticity with typical quietness and politeness.
Rating: 8 /10 Other poster strangely without the main character