Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on October 2010

PHOTO ©Crest International

The French-Korean coproduction A Brand New Life (2009; pictured) is coming to Iwanami Hall (2-1 Kanda-Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku; www.iwanami-hall.com) from October 9. Directed in a slow, contemplative style, the film is largely based on director Ounie Lecomte’s own childhood. It tells the story of a girl who is sent to an orphanage in ’70s Seoul before being adopted by a foreign couple.

Jimbocho Theater (1-23 Kanda Jimbocho, Chiyoda-ku; http://jinbocho-theater.jp) is honoring legendary actress Ayako Wakao with a retrospective through October 22. One of the most popular screen figures in postwar Japan, Wakao has appeared in over 150 comedies, dramas and historical epics since her debut in 1952. Highlights include the comedy Furin (“Adultery”; 1965) and the mystery Yoru no Wana (“The Night Trap”; 1967), based on a novel by American pulp writer Cornell Woolrich.

The hit French comedy Little Nicholas (2009) will draw laughs at Ebisu Garden Cinema (www.kadokawa-gardencinema.jp/yebisu) from October 9. The film tells the story of a boy in ’50s Paris whose active imagination makes him fear that his perfect little world will be ruined when he learns his mother is expecting a second child.