Born with It

This is a short film depicting the problems that hafu people are facing in Japan. The main character, Keisuke, moves to a new town in country side and changes the elementary school. One of his classmates insists that Keisuke has HIV because he has a black skin. I realized the problem of education on diseases. In the textbook, the photos of the patients of HIV is mostly black people. Furthermore, there is not enough explanations about HIV at schools. Therefore, children tend to have a wrong idea that HIV can be seen in only black people. Also, they don't understand how HIV is contracted. There are many other films that depicts these problems of HIV education, such as BPM. Those films all insists the necessity of children's deeper understanding of HIV to decrease the infection rate. I think this short film succeeds in depicting the ongoing problems of not only racial discrimination but also education systems of Japan. It can be the good teaching material for anyone.

This is a story about a 'hafu' black boy. His name is Keisuke. This story starts with the scene that he moves to a small town. On the first day, his classmates assume that Keisuke has AIDS.

They think that all black people have it. They always exclude Keisuke. However, one kind boy invites him to play catch and Keisuke gets injured then. After that, they search about AIDS.

After, Keisuke is filled with fear that really has AIDS, so he runs away from school. When he talks about his fear, his mother comforts him and proves that he does not have AIDS. Actually, she takes him to hospital. Keisuke is completely healthy. Then, she tells him his father's words, "It's not up to others to decide what kind of human being you are." In the last scene, he starts to enter the school... I was moved by the boy who plays catch with Keisuke. He is so kind, isn't he? Because, many children want to exclude a stranger who is different from themselves. Even if you don't want to do it, you might be influenced by your classmates. It's so horrible and stupid. I wonder how many students can understand the fact of AIDS. They only see the pictures that the black patients with AIDS on the internet. Maybe, the kind boy also has the stupid knowledge, but he can look at Keisuke's heart not his appearance. For the kind boy, the difference of appearance doesn't matter. In the future, I want my children to be like him.

Then, Keisuke's mother tells him so impressed words when he is crying. I sympathize with her opinion. However, I also think she doesn't know anything. Keisuke and many children want to sympathize with them by their mother and father. Of course, it's not a solution. Actually, I had a mental problem when I was 11 years old. So, I couldn't enter my class and I always run away to the library. One day, my mother knew that, so my father was angry. He told me if you lose now, you will continue to lose in your life. After that, I had to enter my class and it was such a nightmare. However, I could enjoy my school life again. (I don't know why I could do it...) From that, I was frustrated with Keisuke's mother, but Keisuke will understand his mother's words.

I like this film. Probably, I don't have the films that I don't like and I can't be interested in.

But this film makes me remember my sad experience and my growth. I recommend it!

Born with it, a short film directed by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, brings to the screen a theme that is not often discussed: the prejudice against half Japanese living in Japan. It tells the story of a half Japanese half black young kid attending his first day at school. As soon as he enters the room, a classmate states that since he is black, he probably has AIDS. From then on, not only he is not recognized as Japanese, but he is also avoided by other children, since they believe he is sick. The last scene is particularly touching: before entering the school, he faces his reflection on the door's glass, and when he goes inside, the shot stays fixed on the place he was before, and we can hear a sea of whispers - the whispers that this kid will have to live with during his whole life. This short film reminds me of a Japanese film - Swallowtail Butterfly, that, in a more comic way, portrays a character that, even though he was born and raised in Japan and can speak only Japanese, since both his parents are American, he is never recognized as Japanese. In the case of Born with it, Keisuke has to deal not only with the fact that he will always be seen as a foreigner, but also with racial prejudice. The prejudice raised by the fact that Japanese society denies anyone with physical characteristics different from the standard, and the impact of this point of view on people's lives is an issue for Japanese contemporary society, and this short film portrays it in a clear way.

A young Japanese black skinned boy named Keisuke moves to the countryside with his mother and enters a new school as a transfer student. Due to his skin color and "non-typical Japanese" features, he starts getting bullied by his young classmates. Having difficulties coping with his classmates' remarks, he will however find comfort in his mother's words but also in a new and unexpected friendship.

I can say without a doubt that I really enjoyed this short Japanese film. Discrimination against "half" children in Japan has been a real social problem for years, and even with Japan opening its borders and mindset more and more as years pass, hurtful remarks and stereotyping remains a problem, particularly in the Japanese countryside, where diversity is scarce. Not a lot of films shine the light on this problem, but "Born with It" does and does it in a very realistic and touching manner. Indeed, Keisuke's daily life in the school seems relatable for any other half children that have been through the same kind of bullying. But the main aspect that touched me was the fact that the story doesn't take the simple way out for its ending and remains very realistic. Finally, the cinematography of the film was in my opinion really aesthetic, with colors more in the darker tones, fitting the seriousness of the issue touched upon. In the same way I also found the light music heard throughout the film to be really fitting.

'Born With It' is a short drama and family movie directed and written by Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour in 2015. A boy called Keisuke is a half Japanese and half black boy and transfer student from another school. When he goes to new school on his first day, he is discriminated against by his new classmates because of his skin color. This movie has a very consistent plot, because it shows the problem of discrimination, prejudice and stereotypes against black people. Moreover, there is clear visual storytelling in this movie. For example, there is a direction that he turns his eyes on his black skin color after he looks at a group photograph at the beginning of the story. It means that he is worried whether he can get accustomed to his new school because of his skin color. On the whole, this movie describes the importance of accepting diversity, and is easy for the audience to understand, so it deserves to be seen.