Littlerock

Brother Rintaro Sakamoto and sister Atsuko Sakamoto are driving to San Francisco on a family mission. Their car breaks down and they are stranded in Littlerock, California. Rintaro speaks some English and admires Americana. Atsuko doesn't speak any English at all. Rintaro is drawn to a loud party in their motel and the siblings befriend Cory Lawler. At an another party, Jordan moves in on Atsuko and Cory pushes his way as a third wheel on their bicycle date. Atsuko secretly sleeps with Jordan and decides to stay with Cory when Rintaro leaves. She starts working at Cory's father's restaurant. Francisco Fumero is the Spanish speaking cook. Language difficulty is a constant. Cory owes money to some thugs and he wants to borrow money from his father to take off to L.A.

Atsuko has a minimalist style of acting. With no English, she has a mysterious presence. It's kind of a reversed Lost in Translation indie. Cory has a creepy pathetic vibe. I would love Cory to completely deteriorate and confront Jordan. I would love for the story to pick up some dramatic speed. Instead it takes lyrical turns. It culminates in a phone call between Atsuko and Cory where neither understands the other. It's a bit poetic but it's not really climatic. The story feels truncated and the movie is a bit short. I also would like Atsuko to throw a rock through Jordan's window.

I began watching this movie with modest expectations, but by the time it finished, it not only exceeded them, but has become one of my favourite indie movies in event memory! I taped this movie on my PVR or as known in the U S, DVR, several times over the course of a year or so, only to find myself always erasing it to free up some space for other programs. However the last time I recorded it, I said " this time I'm going to watch it!" And am I glad I did. It tells the story of a pair of Japanese siblings who wind up in a small California town on their way to San Fran and Manzannar, a town know for Japanese internment during WWII, in which the grandparents of the siblings were held. Along the way, they get stranded in a town and find friends with the local teens who are around the same age of the two siblings. The brother speaks very little English, just enough to get by, but the sister, no English at all which really adds to the movies story, I fact IMO, it's what takes this movie for just okay to over the top, or from a rating of 5 to a rating of 10. Without describing too much of the plot, I will just say the movie is about Atsuko's relationships with her new found friends in the small town her and her brother stumble upon. Highly recommended for someone who wants to see something a little different!! I would also like to add, this movie is proof positive that you can tell a great story and make a wonderful movie with a limited budget!

This film is hard to find, a decade old, and has no famous contributors. But, if you ever have a chance to see it, consider yourself lucky. If you have ever traveled alone to a foreign country or have known a foreign exchange student, then you will be able to appreciate Atsuko Okatsuka's portrayal of what it is like to be alone in a crowd. Her struggle to connect with other people in non-verbal ways is quite authentic. Her performance was amazing.

I also enjoyed the setting of Littlerock, California (right outside Los Angeles, but I never knew it existed). Littlerock is one of a thousand small town across this country that could have played the setting to this film. Littlerock, California became Atsuko's example of America. This may seem sad on the surface, but travel experiences are what you make of them, and Atsuko got a good hard taste of real Americans.

There are other films by this director, with this combination of actors and actresses, but I haven't been able to find them. 'Littlerock' (2010) is a hidden gem.

RealReview Posting Scoring Criteria: Acting - 1/1; Casting - 1/1; Directing - 1/1; Story - 1/1; Writing/Screenplay - 1/1;

Total Base Score = 5

Modifiers (+ or -): Standout Performances: +1 ( Atsuko Okatsuka );

Believability/Consistency: +1;

Total RealReview Rating: 7