Small, Slow But Steady (ケイコ目を澄ませて)

Boxing films may be as old as cinema itself, a story like that of Japan's Small, Slow But Steady still has the power to move and surprise. The film paints a portrait of Keiko Ogasawara, a professional boxer who was born deaf. Director Shô Miyake and his co-screenwriter drew on Ogasawara's autobiography and took the liberty of moving a key moment in her life to the first year of the corona pandemic. It's the emotional truth that matters. Ogasawara's struggle becomes that of a community, her ageing trainer and his independent boxing school in a Tokyo suburb. Unsentimental, but a sensitive as the grain in the cinematography of Hidetoshi Shinomiya, who was also responsible for the beautifully shot Drive My Car.

"More concerned with the wear and tear of everyday life than pummeling sound and fury, director Shô Miyake’s measured, unsentimental adaptation turns out to be somewhat aptly described by its own title, though none of those adjectives quite conveys its rare and delicate grace." - Variety