Little body, stubby arms and legs, awkward gait: meet Yokohama-based 27-year-old Ryutaro (played by director Ninomiya Ryutaro himself), the laconic, heavy smoking and drinking protagonist of Sweating the Small Stuff. From the very first shots we are thrust into Ryutaro’s life—the film’s quiet yet powerful pace providing a window into what is a frustrated and tormented existence—his dead-end job, his colleagues, his apparently aimless routine and the sudden phone call from childhood friend Yusuke which sets things in motion: Yusuke’s mother, who we come to assume has helped bring up Ryutaro following the premature death of his own mother, is quickly dying from hepatitis C and wishes to see Ryutaro again. He agrees to pay a visit and, effectively, the whole film spirals outward from that poignant interaction. Inspired by true events, writer-director-actor-editor Ninomiya Ryutaro offers here a warts-and-all portrait that audiences won’t soon forget. (Davide CAZZARO)