"Kikujiro"
1999
Directed by Takeshi Kitano

When a lonely young boy takes to the road in search of his mother, a brash, gambling-crazed tough guy (Kitano) is recruited to act as his guardian, leading to several offbeat encounters. A funny and sensitive work that, at its heart, is an affectionate look at boys of all ages at play. Filled with warm humor as well as a quiet sadness, Kikujiro came as something of a surprise to audiences expecting the tougher, more violent elements of Fireworks or Sonatine. Yet, with its meditative, reflective tone, this is very much a Kitano film, somewhat in the spirit of his third movie, A Scene at the Sea, although more sentimental. Japanese with English subtitles.  116 minutes.