Series/Themes: Staff Picks, zCinema without Borders, zEmerging Artist Series

Genre: Drama, International

Accessibility: Subtitles

Film Year: 2017

Locations: Japan/USA

Film Length: 95 min.

Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi

Featuring: Shinobu Terajima, Josh Hartnett, Kaho Minami, Shioli Kutsuna

Middle-aged office worker Setsuko is living a bleak life with few friends and even fewer opportunities.  At the urging of her young niece, Setsuko signs up for an English class run by an unconventional expat, who teaches the language through role-playing games in which the students adopt an American persona – Setsuko becomes “Lucy.”  Emboldened by her new alter ego, Setsuko gains the courage to say and do things she normally would not, although the “new” Setsuko is often cruel to her coworkers. When her teacher and niece run off to California, Setsuko sets off on a journey to find them and to come to terms with her own identity. Discussion with producer and Adrenaline Film Project mentor Han West, moderated by Shilpa Davé (UVA)

 

Supported by the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts