An uplifting Japanese animal movie about the country's first elephant trainer sounds almost too sappy to be true.
A Japanese boy named Sakamoto Tetsumu undergoes rigorous training in a jungle near Chiang Mai in Thailand. He dreams of building a park for retired elephants in Japan, which - unlike their Thailand counterparts - are kept in confined spaces.
The story is, in fact, true. And thanks to the fabulous performance by teenage actor Yuya Yagira, Shining Boy & Little Randy is a brilliant film that is deeply touching and offers plenty of food for thought.
The film, directed by Shunsaku Kawake, comes alive when two elephants, Mickey and Randy, arrive at the animal ranch where Tetsumu is living with his mother (Takako Tokiwa), a former model who runs an animal talent agency.
When the boy places his hand on the foreheads of the elephants, he suddenly senses the affection and spiritual bonding that he has long sought but failed to find in his parents and classmates. It is a powerful and beautiful moment.
The film is as much about elephants as it is about the self-realisation of a sensitive boy who lives in a complicated family and is targeted by bullies at school.
