SHOUJYO: AN ADOLESCENT International Feature Competition

One of Japan’s most popular actors, Eiji Okudo’s directorial debut is a beautiful, erotic fable. The film portrays a Japan more complex and dysfunctional than what is often displayed on American movie screens.

Tomokawa, played by Okuda, is a middle-aged cop who travels his beat by bicycle in an urban residential neighborhood outside Tokyo. One day, while sitting in a cafe, he is confronted by Yoko, a young woman who offers to sleep with him. After she disappears, Tomokawa becomes increasingly obsessed with Yoko, setting out on a quest to find her. When they ore reunited, Tomokawa begins to understand that their meeting was not one of mere chance. He soon learns that Yoko is not only 15, but she is also the daughter of an estranged lover from his past.

SHOUJYO: AN ADOLESCENT is an intriguing tale of star-crossed lovers who journey together through a world inhabited by broken hearts and lost dreams on a quest to find what is truly valuable.