A coach trains two young figure skaters in this endearing, snow-blanketed portrait of youthful yearning and adult melancholy.

Shy, stuttering Takuya is ill-suited to the two ‘boy’ sports – baseball and ice hockey – that rule each half of the year in his Hokkaido hometown. But when he sees the beauty and grace of Sakura as she figure-skates, he’s entranced. Recognising something of himself in Takuya, former skating star turned coach Arakawa (Sōsuke Ikematsu, Shoplifters, MIFF 2018) throws himself into training these two charges rather than going home, where a failing relationship with his long-term boyfriend awaits.

Premiering in Cannes Un Certain Regard, My Sunshine is a charming coming-of-age tale set against the changing of the seasons. Drawing from his own experiences as a figure skater, 28-year-old Hiroshi Okuyama serves as the film’s writer, director, editor and cinematographer, but he never gave his young actors a script or dialogue to remember. Instead, he allows the naturalism of their performances to propel his poignant depiction of childhood, which has earned comparisons to Hirokazu Kore-eda. While Okuyama lovingly captures the island’s snowy climes, the Academy aspect ratio also suggests the limitations and narrow horizons that come with growing up in rural isolation.

“Lilting and lovely … Anyone who’s suffered the pangs of grade school, and the wanting to be someone other than you are, will relate. Snow melts and ice shatters, but the formative memories of youth stay with you.” – IndieWire

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The session on 15 August is Sensory Friendly. This session will run a little differently to a standard session. To learn about what these changes are, you can check out MIFF’s Access page and review the Sensory Friendly Guide, which will be uploaded here closer to the session date.