This review focuses on the Japanese film that came out this year, not to be confused with the 2012 French movie sharing the same title about the famous painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The story and the filmmaking approach definitely pay homage to Renoir, as writer/director Chie Hayakawa uses an “impressionistic” style, weaving together small, seemingly unrelated moments to form a larger narrative. The setting is 1987 Tokyo, a time when Japan was caught up in a consumerist craze for Western art, seen through the eyes of 11-year-old Fuki Okita (Yui Suzuki).

Fuki is a precocious and imaginative kid who retains her strong sense of curiosity while dealing with her dad Keiji’s (Lily Franky) terminal illness. At the same time, her mom, Utako (Hikari Ishida), is trying to balance her job and family responsibilities during this tough time. Sometimes, she appears to be quite frustrated with Fuki’s boundless energy and vivid imagination.

After just getting back from Tokyo last week, I’m fascinated by the everyday life of a typical Japanese family living in suburban Tokyo. I used public transport like the subway and buses in both Tokyo and Kyoto (as well as the famed Shinkansen, aka bullet train, between the two cities), which allowed me to explore some non-touristy residential neighborhoods. I’m always amazed at how clean this country is, even in the big cities, but that’s just the surface.

Fuki’s family home feels a bit cramped and somewhat messy; it isn’t as perfectly tidy as we might picture a Japanese home, which seems realistic considering Utako is a busy career woman. Hayakawa also shows just how hot it can get in Tokyo during the summer, as Fuki’s mom desperately tries to locate the remote to her fan and runs it full blast.

Fuki has a really close bond with her dad, so when he’s in the hospital, life can get quite lonely for her. To cope, she dives into her wild imagination and tries out different things. With her mom always busy, she’s mostly left to figure out her after-school activities on her own. We see her dabbling in hypnosis, telepathy, card tricks, and more, which can be a bit concerning since she doesn’t fully grasp what she’s getting into. She even drags her new friend Kuriko (Yuumi Kawai) into some of her antics.

Yet it’s clear that Fuki’s exploration of these mystical things isn’t just for kicks; it’s her way of trying to make sense of the adult world and deal with the emotional turmoil of her dad’s illness. At one point, she has to say goodbye to Kuriko when she moves to another city, leaving Fuki to handle that loss of friendship on her own.

Fuki really cherishes the cheap replica of Renoir’s famous Little Irène painting that her dad gave her, which seems to mirror her own innocence and yearning to grow up. She felt an instant connection when she first spotted the painting in the hospital gallery. We tend to shield little kids from the tough realities of adult life, especially the hard truth about death. But for Fuki, she has to face it head-on, and sometimes her curiosity leads her into some pretty alarming situations, such as when she meets a college guy who invites her over to his place. Still, it’s her imagination that helps her cope with the sadness. I totally get this because I lost my mom when I was young as well, although I was five years older than Fuki at the time.

I have to admit, while Fuki’s life story is definitely captivating, I found the film to be a bit hard to grasp and emotionally detached. Suzuki seems pretty much expressionless throughout, making her character tough to interpret, possibly because this is her first acting role. I often found myself more curious about the supporting characters, especially Utako and the handsome man who leads her work therapy session (Ayumu Nakajima), as well as the woman hypnotized by Fuki, whose husband had just died tragically. Drawing from Hayakawa’s own childhood, perhaps the opaque storyline is by design, since memories aren’t always easy to decode.

What I like about Renoir is that it breaks away from the usual coming-of-age story. It celebrates the curiosity of children, their imaginative minds, and their mental resilience. Visually, the film is quite stunning. Keiko Mitsumatsu’s production design genuinely captures the essence of the 80s and effectively illustrates the class differences. Kuriko’s home feels more airy and refined, indicating her family’s higher social status compared to Fuki’s. DP Hideho Urata employs intriguing camera work throughout, showing how Fuki often drifts into her own thoughts, blurring her reality and fantasy. Rémi Boubal’s lovely score, along with some notable classical pieces, wonderfully enhances the narrative.

This is my intro to Hayakawa’s work, and she’s clearly a talented filmmaker. Her sophomore feature was nominated for a Palme d’Or at Cannes. Having seen this, now I’m curious to check out her directorial debut, Plan 75.

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Opens in limited theatrical release Friday, May 29.