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Love, family, and relationships; our lives revolve around it, even for the most misanthropic of us. At the risk of sounding cheesy, no matter how much we fight with our family, no matter how estranged we become, we feel an urge for reconciliation. Movies about this subject are a hit and miss. They can become overly emotional while not showing the nuances of relationships. “Close-Knit” released in 2017, and directed by the talented director, Naoko Ogigami, pulls this off masterfully.

“Close-Knit” screened at the New York Asian Film Festival

The movie opens with a girl, Tomo (played by Rinka Kakihara) getting ready for school. The house is a mess. Clothes are strewn everywhere and the garbage bin is full. Tomo lives with her mother Hiromi (played by Mimura), who in the beginning of the movie, leaves her to pursue a life with a man. Tomo goes to live with her uncle,...

“Close-knit” (2017) is an emotional drama that deals with the issues of gender, identity and sexuality. Director Naoko Ogigami wished to draw attention to Lgbtq communities in a Japan society that is still largely conservative in outlook.

“Close-Knit” is screening at San Diego Asian Film Festival, that will be on November 9-18

Tomo (Rinka Kakihara) is a young girl living with her single mother. When her mother walks out on her one day, she calls on her uncle Makio (Kenta Kiritani), who agrees to take her in. On the way to his house, he tells his niece that he is living with someone, a woman who is special to him. When they arrive at his house, Tomo is introduced to Makio’s girlfriend Rinko (Toma Ikuta), who was born as a boy, but is part-way through transformative surgery to become a woman. Tomo is welcomed into their lives and finds the...