Suburban Tokyo, 1987. Imaginative eleven-year-old Fuki begins her summer break lonely and adrift – her kind, terminally ill father has landed once again in the hospital and her mother, distracted by the inevitability of his diagnosis, hasn’t much time for her daughter. Fuki responds to the situation not with tears but with placid curiosity about the prospect of death – becoming fascinated by the occult and experimenting with hypnotism. As the summer passes, Fuki encounters a string of lonely, imperfect adults, all of whom nudge her closer to an emotional truth she isn't quite ready to name yet.

Chie Hayakawa’s (Plan 75) sophomore feature is a tender, often unsettling portrait of childhood grief and the sinuous imagination of an inquisitive young girl. Led by transfixing newcomer Yui Suzuki, Renoir “delicately articulates the girl’s inner child in a way that allows us to feel it expand across the season,” (IndieWire) and “steps to a delicate rhythm whose echo isn’t heard until the very end” (RogerEbert.com).

"[S]weetly reticent.... What distinguishes Hayakawa’s approach is a principled refusal of the obvious; she doesn’t strain to make Fuki relatable, or diagnose her, or problematize her occasional flights of fantasy." - The New Yorker

"Renoir rewards patience with fragmented narratives and surrealist touches. Part of the reason Renoir, despite its modesty, hits emotionally is because of Suzuki’s compelling performance. The newcomer has a wide-eyed, penetrating stare that at once communicates the reality of Fuki’s innocence and the depth of her curiosity." - The Hollywood Reporter

"[A]n elegant, thoughtful piece of filmmaking that digs into the guilt and confusion that underpins a child’s struggle to process death." - Screen International

"Renoir is a coming-of-age story that will be familiar to fans of Hirokazu Kore-eda, but there’s little (if any) of his sentimentality here. Hayakawa’s gaze is as consistent as it is observant, presenting the joys and perils of a formative summer in equal light. The result is a rich and gradually rewarding bildungsroman...." - The Film Stage

"Similar to Yasujirō Ozu—Hayakawa often utilizes the same type of classical framing employed by the old master—this is a film that steps to a delicate rhythm whose echo isn’t heard until the very end." - RogerEbert.com

"Levity intrudes every time Renoir signals toward tragedy, a touch of lightness that keeps this film both unpredictable and relatable." - In Review

"While the subject matter may sound bleak, Renoir is suffused with such empathy and understanding—particularly for the imperfect ways in which we deal with life’s most difficult moments, and the regret that inevitably follows—that it’s impossible to come away from the film without a sense of hope." -Film Inquiry

"Renoir is a gentle and lyrical film, an evident step up in prowess for Ms. Hayakawa as both screenwriter and director, and an auspicious debut by Ms. Suzuki." - NY Sun

"A quiet, haunting film...the film floats between passages that are both beautiful and chilling." - Deep Focus Reviews