A Gentle Breeze in the Village (2007 Film)

A Gentle Breeze in the Village (Japanese: 天然コケッコー, Hepburn: Tennen Kokekko) is a 2007 Japanese film directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita. The screenplay, written by Aya Watanabe, is based on the manga series of the same name by Fusako Kuramochi. The film is a coming-of-age drama set in a small, rural Japanese community.

A Gentle Breeze in the Village promotional poster — Promotional artwork for A Gentle Breeze in the Village.

Plot

The story centers on Soyo Migita, an eighth-grade student living in a remote village. The local school is small, with only six students ranging from first to eighth grade, creating a close-knit, family-like environment. The status quo of this quiet community is altered by the arrival of Hiromi Osawa, a transfer student from Tokyo. His presence as an outsider from the city draws significant attention from the local students.

Cast

The film features an ensemble cast, including:

Kaho as Soyo Migita
Masaki Okada as Hiromi Osawa
Elisa Yanagi as Ibuki Taura
Shoko Fujimura as Atsuko Yamabe
Shogo Morishita as Kotaro Migita
Rumi Honma as Katsuo Taura
Saya Miyazawa as Sachiko Taura
Yui Natsukawa as Itoko Migita
Koichi Sato as Kazumasa Migita
Satoru Saito as Atsuko's father
Daisuke Kuroda as Matsuda (teacher)
Mari Ouchi as Michiko
Hiromasa Hirosue as Shige

Kaho, who portrays the lead character Soyo Migita.

Masaki Okada, who portrays the transfer student Hiromi Osawa.

Production and Release

The film was produced by Hiroyuki Negishi and Shinji Ogawa, with cinematography by Ryuto Kondo. It was distributed by Asmik Ace Entertainment. The film's theme song, "Triangle," was performed by the band Quruli.

A Gentle Breeze in the Village was screened at several international film festivals, including the 12th Pusan International Film Festival in 2007 and the 8th Nippon Connection in 2008.

Awards

At the 32nd Hochi Film Awards in 2007, the film received recognition for Best Director (Nobuhiro Yamashita) and Best New Artist (Kaho).