Slice of Life

Her Sketchbook

世界は今日から君のもの

Directed by: Masaya Ozaki
2017 / 106 minutes / Recommended for aged 12+

The whimsical adventures of a hikikomori.

Screened as part of JFF 2017

Mami rarely leaves home since she dropped out from middle school. Cooped up in her room full of books and comics, she has been escaping reality by immersing herself in copying her favourite manga (comic book) illustrations. Her father, Eisuke, worries a lot about her ever since he divorced with her mother, Mika.

One day, Eisuke finds Mami a part-time job that would suit her interests and lands her a gig as a video game tester. She accepts, thinking she can just keep to herself at work, until her colleague, Ryotaro, finds out her gift for drawing. By getting involved with new people and society, Mami tries to step out into a new world, but after years of mimicking other people’s works, she is unable to create something of her own.

Her Sketchbook is a whimsical slice of life film that follows the adventures of a hikikomori (shut-in) as she bravely steps out of her comfort zone to rejoin society. The talented Mugi Kadowaki (A Double Life, Close-Knit) stars as the adorable Mami in this coming of age film that shines a light on the Japanese phenomenon of hikikomori, people who have chosen to withdraw from society due to social phobia, amongst many reasons.