Moving - Expat Cinema

The work of Japanese director Shinji Sômai (1948-2001) is hardly known in the West; surprising, since directors like Hirokazu Kore-eda and Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who did break through here, consider him an important source of inspiration for their own films. Even the acclaimed drama Moving, based on Hiko Tanaka's 1990 novel of the same name, for instance, was never released in the Netherlands. Now, more than 30 years later, the film is still getting a release here in a beautifully restored version that was awarded the Best Restoration prize at the last Venice Film Festival.

12-year-old Renko's parents are getting a divorce. Initially, this does not affect her that much, but as time passes, she starts to realise more and more what it will all mean for her. Several times she tries to get her parents to reconcile, and in this she goes very far. Should she hold on to the past or should she let it go?