Kikujiro

In Kikujiro, lonely nine-year-old Masao (Sekiguchi) leaves Tokyo in search of the mother he’s never met. He's accompanied on his journey across the Japanese countryside by surly, middle-aged petty crook Kikujiro (Kitano), who is not pleased to be the chaperone. After Kikujiro gambles away all of Masao’s travel money, the two are forced to rely on their wits and the kindness of colorful strangers—and end up somewhere neither ever expected. Prolific Japanese comedian and director Takeshi Kitano, wrote, directed, and starred in this winning, light-hearted road-drama.