Dear Etranger

(Osanago warera ni umare, 幼な子われらに生まれ)

UK Premiere

Makoto (Tadanobu Asano) is a career-driven, middle-aged patriarch of a patchwork family. Married to his second wife and unable to establish a connection with his rebellious elder step-daughter, he struggles to make time for his new family while trying to remain on good terms with his daughter from the previous marriage. Keeping all the plates spinning proves to be a herculean task as he is beset with blows in increasing frequency; soon, even his lucrative job is in jeopardy. As current wife Nanae (Rena Tanaka) announces she’s carrying his child, the story delves deeper into considerations of complicated family units and the consequences of divorce and remarriage.

A Stitch of Life director, Yukiko Mishima, trifles with Japanese family drama conventions, taking fresh and unexpected trajectories in her adaptation of Kiyoshi Shigematsu’s 1996 novel. Winner of the Special Grand Prix of the Jury Award at the 2017 Montreal World Film Festival.

直木賞作家、重松清の同名小説を映画化。再婚した妻、奈苗の連れ子とうまくいかず、息苦しい毎日を送るサラリーマンの信は、ある日、奈苗に妊娠を告げられ……。寺島しのぶや宮藤官九郎など達者な脇役陣も加わり、リアルなドキュメンタリー風に描かれた、ある家族のドラマ。(Japanese synopsis by Eikoku News Digest)

2017/127 min/English Subtitles

The director, Yukiko Mishima, will attend select screenings of the film and take part in Q&A sessions at the following venues:

Filmhouse, Edinburgh:                  Sunday, 24 March

Broadway, Nottingham:                 Tuesday, 26 March

Exeter Phoenix:                             Wednesday, 27 March