Renoir

Tokyo, 1987. Fuki Okita, 11, is trying to cope with her father suffering from cancer and her mother being too swamped with to be emotionally involved. Left on her own, the little girl takes refuge in her imagination where she feels safe and can at least try to get a grip on the difficult reality. Fuki is fascinated with hypnosis and telepathy, and her rich inner life sets her apart from peers. The episodic-like narrative takes us on a journey through the everyday life of Fuki: when she walks around the city and pays visits to the hospital, when she is at school, and when she has a disturbing encounters with a stranger. All these bits and pieces paint a subtle and very emotional portrayal of adolescence, when child’s sensitivity collides with the brutality of the adult world. The film by Chie Hayakawa evokes echoes of the film work by Hirokazu Koreeda, although offering a much more serious tone. This is a very personal and intimate story inspired by the real events in the life of the film director whose childhood was marked by illness and loss. The film ‘Renoir’ is contemplation on sensitivity, loneliness, and an attempt to comprehend a world that the logic of a child fails to grasp.