Haru's Journey

Kobayashi Masahiro, in 2008 Filmmaker in Focus in Rotterdam, starts this Japanese family drama in the form of a road movie on the remote northern island of Hokkaido, one of his favourite locations. In a small fishing village, tensions rise between the rebellious 19-year-old Haru and her crippled grandfather, who she reluctantly looks after. In order to find a solution, the odd couple go looking for relatives who could care for the old man. It turns into an uneasy journey, filled with clashes and surprises, but it is also a journey on which Haru takes her responsibilities and revelations lead to new-found trust and understanding.
Kobayashi, who regards himself as an outsider in Japan and does not shrink from a critical approach, investigates the meaning of ancient Japanese values such as acceptance and family responsibilities in Haru's Journey in an uninhibited, ironic yet also moving way. An impressive leading role by the veteran Nakadai Tatsuya, once the star of many films by Kurosawa.