Karafuru

Ever found yourself talking to your conscience? Maybe it was something reincarnated in you to make you - better. Makoto, our 14-year-old protagonist here, is mistreated by his cross-dressing brother, watches his mother emotionally involved with other men and himself touched by a girl who is dating adults in return for money, a phenomen now known as enjo-kosai in modern Japan. It is not only the funny characters that catch all our sympathies, it is in the way they naively behave and can't avoid hurting each other. Take the tough looking classmate who's after Makoto and her way to express her fondness. Or Makoto's mother's quick reaction to the crossdressing scene she finds her sons in. This pragmatic humour you will find only in Japanese movies. Through it shines the confusion of youngsters in the midst of bullying, teen prostitution and suicides. The movie is based on the popular novel by Eto Mori, a writer of children's books. It was one of the unspectacular highlights at MIFED 2000.