“Moving” follows a girl’s reaction to her parents separating

Occasionally, an international film feels directly relevant to every country even three decades after its initial release. That’s the case with Japanese director Shinji Somai’s “Moving” which recounts the surprising and often inappropriate reactions of vivacious, outspoken eleven-year-old Renko Urushiba upon learning her mother and father are separating. Set in Kyoto, the emotional distress Ren expresses is universal.

That is not to say that Ren (as she’s called) corresponds in any conventional way to clichéd expectations. Not demure, restrained, or at all reticent about asserting herself, Ren explicitly acts to thwart father Kenichi and mother Nazuna divorcing. Embarrassed and acting out at school, negotiating a list of chores and rules with her mother at home, Ren faces her dilemma head on, no dissembling, no holds barred, confrontations invited. Parents Kenichi and Nazuna are thrown off guard, alternately reacting to and accommodating Ren’s pronouncements.

Stylistically, Somai relies on long takes, establishing a feeling inhabiting the characters’ space, trusting, as he proves, “the vitality of the actors.” Alternately, cinematographer Toyomichi Kurita’s camera races with Ren on several occasions, as if, metaphorically, she can outrun and escape her family’s crisis.

Both amusing and heartbreaking, the interaction with her parents and her classmates reveals Ren’s and, by extension, young and older children’s behavior when informed of their parents estrangement. The wonderful presentation here is noteworthy for its honesty and insights. Director Somai writes that “Moving” is a story about Ren’s “discovery of herself . . She encounters the unknown and mentally empowers herself to keep facing the unknown.” He adds that he looks forward “to how this film will be received today by children facing the same situation as Renko.” He has done adults and children alike a great service.

In Japanese with English subtitles, the new 4K restoration of “Moving” screens at Webster University’s Winifred Moore auditorium Saturday, September 28, and Sunday, September 29, at 7:30 each evening. For more information, you may visit the film series website.