Renoir (Runowâru)

Tokyo, 1987. Eleven-year-old Fuki is a talented writer with a vivid imagination. However, the world around her is far from rosy. Keji, her father, has a terminal illness and requires frequent hospitalization. Her mother, Utako, is overworked by her full time job and the demands of caring for her husband. To escape the harsh reality, Fuki becomes fascinated by telepathy and retreats further into the refuge of her imagination.

Director Chie Hayakawa (‘Plan 75’) gives Fuki’s idiosyncratic world rhythm, tenderness, and color. The coming-of-age story is a gentle yet sharp portrait of a girl feeling what words cannot convey. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or.