Miss Hokusai

The title character is actually an artist from early 19th-century Japan by the name of O-Ei Katsushika, a young woman who trained under her legendary painter father, Hokusai Katsushika. Based on the biographic manga Sarusuberi by Hinako Sugiura, filmmaker Keiichi Hara's animated feature, presented in the classic hand-drawn style, has an episodic quality, serving up memories and vignettes illustrating the kind of man Hokusai was—a dedicated and brilliant artist but neglectful and emotionally distant father—as seen through his daughter's eyes. But it is also the story of this daughter who works in the shadow of her father and even paints commissions that are sold under his name. Scenes of their daily life in Japan, circa 1814, are interspersed with sequences of fantasy and wonder—dreams, stories, and magical moments that may or may not be all in the creative imagination of the characters. And the gentle, serene direction evokes the style of Hokusai's artwork (Hokusai and O-Ei also painted erotica and while there are no explicit images, the film does suggest and discuss the sexuality of their work). Although ostensibly a biographical drama, Miss Hokusai actually focuses on a short period of time, exploring the artistic process and creative imagination of its characters. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)