Showing @ Cinewolrd, Edinburgh, Sun 23 & Tue 25 Jun

Izuru Kumasaka / Japan / 2012 / 117 mins

Like 2012’s Beasts of the Southern Wild, Izuru Kumasaka’s surreal drama uses a young girl as its protagonist to depict the world with an imaginative innocence. Lilou (Lilou Diabate) lives in the Japanese city of Okinawa but when her friend Kokoro disappears, she takes it upon herself to try and decipher Kokoro’s strange dream diary, taking her on an adventure across Japan.

Set up as an almost magical tale, we’re told what’s going to follow by a shamanic looking black man speaking French, who turns out to be Lilou’s father. Her race sets her apart from the other Japanese characters and while nothing is made of it, it furthers the otherworldly sense of mysticism that surrounds Lilou, supported by her colourful wardrobe and the repeated tribal drumming. Flitting between dream sequences and normality, we’re never quite sure what’s real and what’s an extension of Lilou’s vivid imagination. In one particular conversation between Lilou and Kokoro, where they discuss fairytales and dreams, Kokoro suggests it’s all a ‘mass delusion’. It’s this questioning of reality which underpins the film’s heart; what is our role in the world and how our actions affect it. A little on the long side, this is a playful and charming movie that uses the naivety of youth to explore man’s position on the planet.

Showing as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival 2013

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