Close-Knit

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Close-Knit

2017

2h 7m

Drama

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

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100%

Tomatometer

6 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

After being neglected by her mother, a little girl is taken in by her uncle and his transsexual girlfriend, who create a loving home for her.

Wendy Ide

Screen International

Gentle, empathetic and deliberately non-confrontational, Close Knit is definitely on the mild-mannered end of the spectrum when it comes to movies dealing with transgender issues.

Feb 10, 2017

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Panos Kotzathanasis

Asian Movie Pulse

Ogigami's look at the connection of Tomo and Makio is very sensitive, presenting the latter as a very gentle, loving and disillusioned about her situation individual, not neglecting though, to present the issues she has with her own mother

Dec 23, 2019

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Richard James Havis

South China Morning Post

A delicate, heart-warming film which touches on serious topics like discrimination and ignorance, without finding the need to raise the stakes with unnecessary scenes of conflict.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jan 30, 2018

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Elena Lazic

Seventh Row

Close-Knit leaves a lasting impression not simply of the injustice faced by transgender people, but also of what joy there could be if society were more tolerant.

Jun 29, 2017

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Mark Schilling

Japan Times

The whole film rises or falls on Ikuta's performance as Rinko -- and he is superb.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 22, 2017

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Rory O'Connor

The Film Stage

One might find the tremendous emotional swells of Close-Knit so moving at times that one can barely hear the sound of fresh ground being broken in Japanese cinema.

Rated: A-

Feb 16, 2017

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Audience Member

This movie is so slice of life it hurts tbh. I personally love movies/films that bring up the LGBTQ community, this is probably the best represented by a Japanese movie. Also love the main lead actors, all of them did an outstanding job and I think this movie deserves more attention.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

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Audience Member

A beautiful, heartbreaking and thought-provoking movie I've seen this year!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/24/23

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Audience Member

Tomo, an 11-year old girl, is suddenly abandoned by her irresponsible mother. She is taken in by her uncle who is now living with a trans woman. Films about the transgender community are still largely absent in Japanese cinema. Instead of sensationalizing this non-traditional family unit, Naoko opted for a mild-mannered approach akin to the style of Hirokazu Koreedas domestic family dramas. This approach does not blunt the emotional impact of the story. On the contrary, it makes each little gesture and unspoken word mean so much more. Close-Knit is a quiet little film thats deeply touching and meaningful.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

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Naoko Ogigami

Director

Toma Ikuta

Actor

Eiko Koike

Actor

Mugi Kadowaki

Actor

Kenta Kiritani

Actor

Rie Mimura

Actor

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Synopsis

After being neglected by her mother, a little girl is taken in by her uncle and his transsexual girlfriend, who create a loving home for her.

Director: Naoko Ogigami
Screenwriter: Naoko Ogigami
Production Co: Dentsu, Sony Music Entertainment
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Runtime: 2h 7m