International Feature Film Competition
Set in suburban Tokyo in 1987, ‘Renoir’ follows 11-year-old Fuki as she navigates the quiet collapse of her family. With her father being gravely ill and her mother, an overwhelmed worker, Fuki retreats into a vivid world of telepathy and fantasy, where art and memory blur, to make sense of loss and love. Acclaimed director Chie Hayakawa delivers a tender and poetic portrait of a fractured family, childhood, grief, and the fragile ways we search for connection amid loss.
Set in suburban Tokyo in 1987, ‘Renoir’ follows 11-year-old Fuki as she navigates the quiet collapse of her family. With her father being gravely ill and her mother, an overwhelmed worker, Fuki retreats into a vivid world of telepathy and fantasy, where art and memory blur, to make sense of loss and love. Acclaimed director Chie Hayakawa delivers a tender and poetic portrait of a fractured family, childhood, grief, and the fragile ways we search for connection amid loss.
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Set in 1987 suburban Tokyo, ‘Renoir’ follows 11-year-old Fuki as she navigates her father Kenji’s terminal illness and her mother Utako’s emotional distance. As illness and exhaustion take hold of the household, Fuki drifts through long, silent days in a sterile suburban home, where she escapes into a fantasy world shaped by her fascination with telepathy and art. Drawn to a replica of Renoir’s ‘Little Irène’, she immerses herself in a vivid inner world, where grief transforms into beauty and loneliness gives way to imagination.
Inspired by her own childhood memories, director Chie Hayakawa crafts an intimate meditation on love, mortality, and the distance that can exist even within families. Through radiant imagery and quiet observation, ‘Renoir’ captures the fragility and resilience of human connection amid isolation. The film evokes the contrasts of Japan’s late-1980s bubble era, its material abundance and emotional emptiness, mirroring Fuki’s yearning for warmth and meaning. Anchored by a remarkable performance from newcomer Yui Suzuki and enriched by Hideho Urata’s delicate cinematography, Hayakawa’s second feature reaffirms her place among Japan’s most empathetic storytellers. ‘Renoir’ stands as an evocative reflection on empathy, solitude, and the healing power of imagination.
Set in 1987 suburban Tokyo, ‘Renoir’ follows 11-year-old Fuki as she navigates her father Kenji’s terminal illness and her mother Utako’s emotional distance. As illness and exhaustion take hold of the household, Fuki drifts through long, silent days in a sterile suburban home, where she escapes into a fantasy world shaped by her fascination with telepathy and art. Drawn to a replica of Renoir’s ‘Little Irène’, she immerses herself in a vivid inner world, where grief transforms into beauty and loneliness gives way to imagination.
Inspired by her own childhood memories, director Chie Hayakawa crafts an intimate meditation on love, mortality, and the distance that can exist even within families. Through radiant imagery and quiet observation, ‘Renoir’ captures the fragility and resilience of human connection amid isolation. The film evokes the contrasts of Japan’s late-1980s bubble era, its material abundance and emotional emptiness, mirroring Fuki’s yearning for warmth and meaning. Anchored by a remarkable performance from newcomer Yui Suzuki and enriched by Hideho Urata’s delicate cinematography, Hayakawa’s second feature reaffirms her place among Japan’s most empathetic storytellers. ‘Renoir’ stands as an evocative reflection on empathy, solitude, and the healing power of imagination.
