When new, smart and sweet Tokyo girl, Rumiko, starts at a rural elementary school, Akira finds himself smitten, like every other male pupil. Newcomer’s popularity is contrasted with the less-tolerant treatment of scruffy Hideko, who, thanks to the arrival of a carnival freak-show in town, is nicknamed the Wolf Girl. Teachers and parents snootily consider the carny off-limits, but Akira is determined to find out whether Hideko really is a wolf girl.
Director: Yoshihiro Fukagawa. AKA 狼少女 When the Show Tent Came to My Town / Wolf Girl
Writers: Tomoko Ogawa, Tamotsu Oomi.
Stars: Mao Ohno, Tatsuya Suzuki, Erika Mabuchi, Rena Masuda, Nene Ohtsuka, Gô Rijû, Satomi Tezuka.
Superb children’s film involving a girl playing a freak show monster, told with integrity through 10-year-old eyes. Challenges bullying and social prejudice in any culture.