Shin-san Tankoumachi no serenâde

This film follows the lives of two families in a small mining town in Fukuoka Prefecture in the sixties through to the seventies.

The film begins with Mamoru and his mother Michiyo returning to her home town following a divorce. On arrival Mamoru finds it hard to fit in as an outsider until defended and befriended by Shinsan.

What follows is a story about the two families and how each adapt to the tragedies and the often hard personal circumstances with which they are faced.

I found this an excellent film, filled with nostalgia for a simpler, if not harsher life.