SMALL, SLOW BUT STEADY

“Tender heartbreaker scores a knockout without punching hard” – Variety.

Keiko, a hearing-impaired young woman, has big dreams of becoming a professional boxer. Driven more by passion than ability, she trains at an aging boxing gym threatened with the prospect of closure. She looks up to the ailing gym owner as a father figure, who is a key pillar of support for her. Immersed in a routine of training and her work as a cleaner in a hotel, the subdued Keiko gently rides the rhythms of life inside and outside the boxing ring. After winning two difficult matches, she faces her third with growing unease as her world gradually dissolves around her. Keiko must understand the true nature of her strength and will to fight in order to carry on. A gentle, meditative exploration of human fragility and solitude built around a career-best performance from Kishii. Inspired by Keiko Ogasawara’s autobiography and Winner of the Kinema Junpo Awards for Best Film and Best Female Performance.