A reserved high-school girl finds her confidence after starting work at a maid cafe in this charming coming-of-age drama. Ito Soma (Ren Komai) lives with her father (Etsushi Toyokawa) and grandmother (Yoko Nishikawa) in rural Aomori, her mother having passed when she was still in kindergarten. Ito’s shy demeanour, partly relating to unresolved grief over the loss of her mother, isolates her from others at school; this is further exacerbated by her speech which is in a thick Tsugaru dialect. After seeing an advert for a part-time job at a maid cafe she travels to Aomori city, where she meets single-mother Sachiko (Mei Kurokawa) and Tomomi (Mayu Yokota), who are both employed as maids too, along with Mr. Kudo (Ayumu Nakajima), the shop manager. Ito begins to grow in confidence, finally making friends with a classmate and rediscovering the shamisen, which she had previously won competitions playing. When the maid cafe is threatened with closure, Ito and the other work together to try and save it.
Directed by Satoko Yokohama, with a script by Yokohama and Osamu Koshigaya, “Itomichi” is a beautiful portrayal of life in a rural area far from the bright-lights of Tokyo. Katsumi Yanagijima’s cinematography makes the most of the stunning vistas of mountains and fields in Ito’s local area, along with scenes shot in Aomori city. The entire crew, from lighting to music (overseen by Takuma Watanabe), create a quaint, relaxed atmosphere that draws you into this world. The cast give great performances, in particular Ren Komai in the lead role. We feel her nervousness and unease with her life and her struggles to fit in with those around her. On top of this, we are treated to incredible shamisen performances by this multi-talented actress. The script does a great job of bringing together a number of different characters, giving them just enough depth to ensure they are not simply background to the main plot. Sachiko is a single-mother, who has aged out of the usual maid cafe work, but who becomes a surrogate mother to Ito. Tomomi is a young woman with dreams of becoming a manga artist. Ito’s grandmother is a fun character with her broad accent; while Ito’s father also plays a pivotal role in her story. We also have Sanae (Jonagold), Ito’s classmate, who has great chemistry with Ito in their few scenes together. The film’s tone is comic at times, but shot through with heartfelt sentiment around the importance of family and friendship.
“Itomichi” is ostensibly a coming-of-age drama in which a young woman comes out of her shell, finds friendship and support in the people around her, and rediscovers her true passions. There are also deeper themes here around the passing of generations, with Ito’s father researching the Tsugaru dialect that seems to be falling out of use; and the difficulty Ito has in straddling these two worlds, that of a country girl, and a cosmopolitan woman. This duality is evidenced in Ito’s two Key interests, the part-time work at a maid cafe (a modern cultural phenomenon) and playing the shamisen (a traditional art). The importance of language is also central to the story as characters comment on the difficulty of communication, not only across language barriers, but cultural divisions, generational divides, and the often awkward act of connecting with other people. “Itomichi” is a delightful film with a message of community and following your dreams.
