Ito

A shy country girl chooses a part-time job at a ““maid cafe”” where she serves customers while dressed up as a maid. A unique and touching coming-of-age drama.
Ito, a high school student living with her father and grandmother in Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, is very introverted and has few friends. She has not touched her shamisen, an instrument, which has been handed down to her after her mother’s death after being passed down from generation to generation. It is then, on the spur of the moment, that she applies for a part-time job at a ““maid cafe”” and is successfully hired. The senior employees there are all full of character and individuality, including an older single mother and an aspiring manga artist. As Ito is surrounded by the strange yet charming regular customers, she gradually opens herself up to them. Then, one day, an opportunity arises to perform the shamisen, which she had kept locked up…
A fresh and moving tale about a young woman growing out of her shell and about the preciousness of familial bonds. The contemporary and specific ““maid café”” culture from Tokyo is juxtaposed with the traditional shamisen music of Aomori giving insight into the uniqueness and breadth of Japanese culture. (Synopsis from Japanese Film Festival)

『いとみち』
Film Festivals (selected): Japan Cuts, Udine Far East Film Festival, Japanese Film Festival
Available to stream on (subject to change): n/a