Pumpkin and Mayonnaise, Dir. Masanori Tominaga, Japan, 2017, 93 mins, Japanese with English subtitles, Cert. 15
Thursday 7 February, 6:30pm
How far would you go for love? Tsuchida (Asami Usuda) makes what she considers to be necessary sacrifices for her boyfriend Seiichi (Taiga) – an unemployed musician with big dreams of creative recognition – by working at a host club in order to pay for their living expenses. Upon discovering what she does to support his dream, the heedless Seiichi eventually decides to turn his life around by finding a steady job. Meanwhile, Tsuchida runs into Hagio (Joe Odagiri), an old flame she has been unable to forget. As the encounter forces her to consider her situation more deeply, she finds herself at emotional crossroads.
Based on a long-loved comic created by Kiriko Nananan, Asami Usuda sensitively renders a portrait of a young woman trapped by her circumstances in modern Japan as her affections waver between two lovers in this charming film.