I Go Gaga, My Dear(HKAFF 2019)

Veteran television director Nobutomo Naoko’s first theatrical documentary opened in just one cinema, but became a surprise hit after strong word-of-mouth propelled it to a nationwide Japan release. Nobutomo drew from several years’ worth of footage to assemble this personal chronicle about her parents, whose mutual love and resolve carried them through difficult times well into their nineties. Following the elderly couple’s daily routine, Nobutomo captures not only their support while she battled breast cancer, but also her mother’s slow deterioration due to dementia, and the toll it took on her father. Warm and illuminating, Nobutomo’s remarkable documentary conveys life’s beauty and sorrow with poignant, intimate and heartrending grace.