An effortlessly charming coming-of-age-drama. By CALEB STARRENBURG.

YAMASHITA NOBUHIRO is possibly the most astute and interesting director working in Japan today. Following the international success of Linda Linda Linda he defied expectations by fashioning the off-kilter black comedy Matsugane Potshot Affair. Despite critical praise the film received scant attention. With his latest output, A Gentle Breeze in the Village, he returns with a wryly observant and perfectly pitched coming-of-age drama.

Adapted by screenwriter Aya Watanabe from a popular Fusako Kuramochi manga, the film is a rich and infectiously charming celebration of youth. Set in a small rural town in southern Japan’s stunning Shimane Prefecture, we are introduced to A Gentle Breeze heroine and occasional narrator Soyo, who acts as an older sister figure to her five schoolmates. Their idyllic world is suddenly disrupted by the arrival of the film’s eponynous breeze: the effortlessly cool Hiromi (Masaki Okada). Tokyo born Hiromi has moved back to his mother’s home-town following her recent divorce.

Hiromi, who is the same age as Soyo, immediately challenges the group’s natural hegemony. Despite an unfortunate first encounter he also becomes an object of affection for Soyo, and as their awkward relationship develops it incites tempered jealousy amongst her friends.

Yamashita sketches his film from the classic Japanese aesthetic, drawing parallels between changing seasons and emotions, but also infuses the picture with moments of j-pop vitality. Referencing the bright-eyed sentimentality and latent humanism of Miyazaki, A Gentle Breeze juxtaposes its rural setting with a brief visit to the high-velocity of Tokyo, constructing a subtly layered subtext about the cost of modernisation and the inevitably of change.

The film’s mostly untouched locations are gorgeously framed by cinematographer Kondo Ryuto and form a character in their own right, quietly observing the gentle trajectory of the plot. Meanwhile, the score by popular Japanese electronic artist Rei Harakami is flawlessly integrated.

Kaho is a revelation in the role of Soyo. The relative newcomer plays her character as both vulnerable and manipulative as she perfectly captures the awkwardness of adolescence. The unforced authenticity of her relationship with Hiromi sets this gem apart from the flood of carbon-copy romantic melodramas produced each year to satisfy Japan’s teenage population. Simply put, A Gentle Breeze in the Village is a joy to watch.