Film
Tsugaru Lacquer Girl
Japan- Director
- Keiko Tsuruoka
- Year
- 2023
Keiko Tsuruoka’s film is at once traditional and contemporary: it gently mixes present-day gender and sexuality politics with the old-fashioned Japanese domestic drama. Traditional lacquerwork kitchenware is the Aoki family’s legacy, handed down to patriarch Seishiro (Kaoru Kobayashi) by his now-ailing father (Masayuki Suzuki). Seishiro expects to pass it in turn to his son Yu (Ryota Bando), but Yu has no interest in the craft—quite unlike daughter Miyako (Mayu Hotta), who loves it dearly. The stage is set for conflict, as established cultural traditions collide with modern mores…
Top cast
Directed by
Keiko Tsuruoka
Written by
Keiko Tsuruoka, Kensaku Kojima
Produced by
Koichiro Fukushima, Tatsuya Matsuoka, Hitoshi Endo