Katatsumori

In this first part of her trilogy of short films about the great-aunt who raised her from a young age, Naomi Kawase sketches a loving portrait of Uno Kawase, or “Grandma,” as she calls her. Now in her early 80s, Uno is delighted at her continuing good health and is utterly confident that she’ll make it to 100. Sometimes the director observes her adoptive mother from a distance of several meters, but more often she goes in close - very close. So close in fact that occasionally the elderly woman has clearly had enough of it and tells her to stop. But most of the time she lets the director have her way, even when that means she has to stand outdoors in the cold for a while. It’s clear from the way the pair interact that Uno sees her great-niece as her own child. When Uno turns the tables and starts filming the director, we discover that Katatsumori is just as much about Naomi Kawase herself as it is about her adoptive mother. The director brings their intimate bond to the screen using simple means and without ever resorting to sentimentality. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)