Mitsuko Delivers (2011)

Single, nine months pregnant and financially broke, Mitsuko (Riisa Naka) is running low on options. But she's strong-willed and has a personal philosophy that keeps her afloat when life seems determined to drag her down. To the people she meets, such as the unmotivated, the unlucky, and the hopeless, Mitsuko is an inspiration. When she moves into a rundown tenement, populated with a number of such folks, she has her work cut out for her.
It's a Japanese comedy drama from Dir. Yûya Ishii with just the right amount of heart and quirkiness to make it fun and warming. The flashbacks to fifteen years previous add welcome depth to the oddball characters.

3 fair winds out of 5

Sawako Decides (2009)

Sawako has low self-esteem. She's the opposite of her co-workers, all of whom seem to have a strong opinion on everything and everyone. When Sawako finds herself in a situation involving freshwater clams and a sweater-knitting partner, her weak decision-making skills are put to the test.
Sometimes the film tries too hard to be likeable, as if it's forcing the issue, and the lead actress didn't always convince me that she was Sawako in anything but name, but both failings are largely ironed out by the second half, which culminates in a well-rounded and above all memorable closing scene.
Most viewers will be able to find something relatable in the script—if not in the primary narrative, then in the details—but the uniquely Japanese humour has the potential to greatly confuse the uninitiated.

3 elevated lower-middles out of 5