Close Knit Movie Analysis

Looking at how femininity is expressed in Japanese culture from the perspective of the movie Close Knit we are given a specific focus on femininity and gender performance, motherhood. This is played out in two main forces in the movie that are in conflict with one another, as well as one that is an intersection of the two, but also distinct in its’ own way. The first is Rinko, who was born male but had completed the transition into female before the beginning of the movie. Rinko participates in many aspects of stereotypical female gendered roles. From her purposefully coordinated movements and mannerisms, to even her job as a caretaker for the elderly; Rinko embodies a lot of the traits that we would associate with women and femininity. From creating adorably cute bento boxes for Tomo, braiding her hair, and teaching her knit, she is everything that Tomo’s mother isn’t. She portrays an ideal mother and things we would associate with this role, though she
Kai’s mother, Naomi, who holds herself above Rinko, disallows her son from interacting with Tomo and general disapproval of any perceived form of “otherness” that drives her son to attempt to commit suicide. As well as, Tomo’s mother, Hiromi, from what we gather from conversations within the movie, has a history of abandoning her child for months at a time, and when home, still has very little actual interaction with her. Their overall mannerisms are also in contrasted when compared to Rinko’s, who comes across as passive and soft-spoken, often letting others speak her and rarely protesting or arguing over a situation or treatment. The one instance she does is when she is trying to make her case to take in Tomo permanently to Hiromi, and even then, she is very polite and apologetic. Whereas both Naomi and Hiromi, are quite argumentative, and at times, just blatantly rude, usually to