Stolen

This fine film is as tight and taut as a boxer's body, weighing in at a lean 58 minutes to reveal young man Yuichi (Yuki Kawashima) coming to terms with the apparent kidnapping of his star-quality younger brother by North Korea. Yuichi's mom (Miwako Izumi) seems ready to settle into an identity of a mother of a kidnapped child, while her journalist husband (Takahiro Ono) rails against Japanese and American governments for brushing off such cruel, real-life abductions. Yuichi's sister wilts when the incident's aftermath costs her ad agency job. This, while his girlfriend struggles to fathom Yuichi's silence and uncharacteristic behavior as a fledgling fighter. Can Yuichi evolve in a stifling environment charged with the tragic and unresolved loss of a child, his kid bro.

These well-crafted but walking wounded people populate a story packed with solid, intersecting themes ranging from the brutality of press, posts, and public opinion to the sacrifice of self in a quest for enlightenment. Yuichi's pitfall-ridden progress is tested in stages as his first amateur fight nears in a nearly empty gym.

Writer-director Taka Tsubota keeps the plot moving, avoiding the gratuitous to keep his story thoughtfully on track - subtle, yet rich in emotions and implications, sticking to essentials and trusting in his audience. Makes me wonder how much of his spirit is invested in Yuichi's persona. Doesn't matter - I found myself cheering on both the director and his boxer,