Naoko Ogigami’s 2017 film, Close-Knit is a well thought out family drama that is beautifully told. When 11 year old Tomo, neglected by her single-mother, is left abandoned, her uncle Makio takes her in. Complicating the matter is that Makio lives with his post-op transgender girlfriend Rinko.
This is a film about perceptions and acceptance. Tomo, discarded by her mother, is left to try to pick up the pieces of her life with her uncle and while she is initially awkward about his situation and his partner, being looked after and treated properly soon brings her round to seeing Rinko as a loving, kind person. Unfortunately, this isn’t how everyone sees Rinko and, not taking the time to get to know her, they only see the outside and not the inside and definitely not the bigger picture.
The family unit that Makio, Rinko and Tomo make is lovely and as they grow closer together the bonds strengthen. The excellent performances by Toma Ikuta (Rinko) and Rinka Kakihara (Tomo) really do help to show this developing bond between the two.
While this is a sensitive subject it does manage to handle some of the elements well such as seeing Rinko as a person not just a “weirdo” but others seems to just be glossed over at times and not given the time to develop. The ones important to the situation here, the interpersonal ones, the family unit, are done beautifully. It may not be an ideal film for learning more about the situations and subjects at play here, but as a film for entertainment it a wonderful one.
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