Chie Hayakawa Explores the Shadows of Mortality in New Film ‘Renoir’

Filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, known for her 2022 dystopian feature Plan 75, returns to the screen with a deeply personal project. Her latest film, Renoir, shifts away from the sci-fi elements of her debut to offer a poignant, grounded exploration of childhood, grief and the looming reality of death.

A Reflection on Memory and Loss

Set in 1987, Renoir follows the life of Fuki, a fifth-grader living in a Tokyo suburb. The narrative draws directly from Hayakawa’s own experiences, specifically the year she turned 11 and navigated her father’s battle with terminal cancer. The film captures the quiet, often unspoken atmosphere of a household preparing for a profound loss.

The protagonist, played by newcomer Yui Suzuki, observes the world around her with a complex mix of innocence and precocious awareness. While her father, Keiji (Lily Franky), spends his remaining time in and out of the hospital, her mother, Utako (Hikari Ishida), struggles with the emotional exhaustion of anticipatory grief. Hayakawa portrays these family dynamics with a focus on how each individual attempts to process their reality, often through personal distractions and secret pursuits.

The Intersection of Imagination and Reality

The film’s title references the painting Little Irène by French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir, an artwork that fascinated Hayakawa as a child and serves as a focal point for Fuki’s curiosity about mortality. Throughout the film, Fuki attempts to exert control over her surroundings by experimenting with hypnotism and mind-reading.

Hayakawa intentionally blurs the lines between reality and daydream. By presenting Fuki’s flights of fancy with the same matter-of-fact tone as her daily routine, the director highlights the fluidity of a child’s imagination when confronted with adult tragedy. This approach allows the film to examine whether the sorrows of childhood leave lasting marks on the adult psyche.

Societal Observations and Human Connection

While Renoir is a memory piece, it maintains the thematic focus on aging and societal response found in Hayakawa’s previous work. The film explores how individuals seek connection to insulate themselves from the tragedy unfolding at home. Utako finds herself drawn to a workplace advisor, Toru (Ayumu Nakajima), while Fuki engages in an impulsive and potentially risky odyssey through a phone dating service.

These subplots serve as a commentary on the confusion surrounding love and human connection, illustrating how both mother and daughter search for stability in the face of an inevitable ending. Despite the heavy subject matter, Hayakawa maintains a muted, observational style that prioritizes bittersweet reflection over traditional dramatic shock.

Key Takeaways

• Personal Inspiration: The film is heavily influenced by Chie Hayakawa’s childhood experiences with her father’s illness.
• Historical Context: The story is set in 1987, the year the director turned 11, grounding the narrative in a specific era of her own life.
• Thematic Depth: Renoir explores the psychological impact of impending loss on a child and the diverse ways family members cope with grief.
• Artistic Style: The film utilizes a naturalistic approach to daydreams, emphasizing the indistinguishable nature of reality and imagination for young people.

Renoir, which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, offers a delicate and introspective look at the resilience of the human spirit. It is a testament to the idea that even in the shadow of great loss, life continues to be observed, processed, and eventually transformed into art.

Renoir is not rated and has a running time of 1 hour and 56 minutes. The film features Japanese language with subtitles and opens Friday, June 5, at Landmark’s Nuart Theatre.