37 seconds, Dir-Scr. Hikari, Japan 2019, 115 min. English subtitles
Yuma (first-time actress Mei Kayama, who has cerebral palsy) is a manga artist. When she’s not being smothered by an overprotective mother, she’s getting ripped off by an exploitative friend who claims Yuma’s work as her own. Following her first attempt at creating erotic comic books, she’s advised by a publisher that she go out and experience the world she wants to depict. And so Yuma embarks on a sensual adventure that takes her from love hotels to a newly-authentic experience of life. Director Hikari’s debut feature is a warm-hearted and clear-eyed exploration of the sexual experience of a person with disabilities. Kayama gives a total charmer of a performance, constantly funny and sweet, as Yuma happily smashes her way through taboos and goes beyond other people’s expectations of her.
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