When They Knit in Earnest

这一期来讲讲由荻上直子执导、生田斗真领衔主演的暖意融融的彩虹电影《人生密密缝》。这部电影对于女孩小友与作为trans女性的凛子之间的友谊有着动人的刻画，但片中不同的母亲角色更让我着迷。她们是关怀孩子的人，为孩子“密密缝”，但她们也在母职的路上屡屡失败，给不了孩子他们想要的身体，或是不理解孩子爱之所向，抑或无法成为一个为社会期待的“完美母亲”。
《人生密密缝》温情而深刻，推荐给大家。

Hiya!
In this episode, I talk through a Japanese movie ‘彼らが本気で編むときは、’ （‘When They Knit in Earnest’ or ‘Close-Knit’）. Young girl Tomo comes to live with her uncle for the period of time when her mother leaves her alone to chase a hopeless love affair. Tomo embarks on a journey of coming to understand and make friends with her uncle's girlfriend Rinko, a trans woman. This is a heart-warming story about a girl learning to accept and stand up for the LGBTQ+ community, but also one that investigates the social prejudice towards trans woman and gay man. However, my point of interest lies beyond its obvious topic. I was captured by how this movie approaches care, create and motherhood. The movie showcases a myriad of ‘failed’ mothers: some have an estranged relationship with their kids, some failed to give their kids the gender they belong to, some simply don't understand or support their kids. One of them is Tomo's mother Mimura, the run-away single parent. Mimura’s story propels me to think about 'the absent experience of motherhood' in physical and biological contexts and how that (dis)enables the idea of a good mother.

Highly recommend this movie x

Music
物語のはじまりby 江藤直子
海by 江藤直子