Saturday, January 27, 1:30PM (ET) at Innis Town Hall (2 Sussex Ave, Toronto ON M5S 1J5)
Directed by OGIGAMI Naoko • 2017 • Drama / Family • 127 min. • Presented in Japanese with English subtitles • RSVP Required • Trailer
Rinko is a transgender woman with a heart of gold. Her boyfriend Makio was captivated by her heart and accepts her for who she is. And a lonely girl named Tomo suddenly appeared in their life. This is the story of sixty heartwarming days in the life of these three individuals who each find their own happiness amid the blooming cherry blossoms of spring.
Director Biography:
After establishing a new genre of Japanese film with such titles as Kamome Diner and MEGANE – Glasses, Director OGIGAMI Naoko presents Close-Knit, her first new film in five years. The “knitting” motif plays a central role in the story, and it is one of the first Japanese films to feature a sexual minority (LGBTQ) as its main character. Toma Ikuta portrays a transgender woman named Rinko, addressing a topic that has suddenly become a major point of discussion both in Japan and throughout the world. The director herself has said that Close-Knit marks the beginning of a new stage for her: “With this film, I begin Chapter Two of my life and my work as a director.”
Ogigami also wrote the script. The story was inspired by the time she spent in the United States after becoming a mother of twins. In 2012 she returned to the States after twelve years, having lived there for six years while in her 20s. While she was in the U.S, LGBTQ people were a normal part of her daily life. After returning to Japan, she felt strange to see the percentage of sexual minorities around her drop so suddenly. She gained further inspiration from a newspaper article that stated, “Gender is not just male or female.” With these themes in mind, she turned her attention to writing and directing a new film.
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