“Hirofumi’s Suitcase” by Natasja Pattipeilohy

Hirofumi’s Suitcase is a delicate short movie that depicts the love struggle of an oriental man that wants to confess his feelings to his dutch teacher, but due to the language barrier between them is unable to tell her.

Most of the power of this short comes from the interpretation of the leading actor: in his face we can really see the composure, discretion and politeness that is typical of the oriental way of relating to each other. This is the first barrier he has to overcome, because his culture and way of living will never let him speak out loud his feelings in front of her. Here, the screenplay shows that a good and precise study of the characters involved in the narration has been done and therefore the short proves to be well written.

The solution Hirofumi finds to finally express his feelings is, in fact, truly japanese and, if somebody has ever come in contact with the humanity of the japanese culture, it is undeniably heartbreaking.

Direction and cinematography, as well as the final music, are all very delicate and sober, as to underline the power of the leading character. The whole work has been developed by an intelligent team and led by a director that had a precise focus: this is the kind of short that is full of humaneness.