Misaki is a fourth grader who is still processing the loss of her mother. Her eccentric behaviour sometimes upsets those around her, especially her absence from school as she begins to hang out at a ceramic artist’s studio. She shows a keen interest in the art but before another momentous change is about to happen in her life, she runs away from home and embarks on an odyssey that will take her deep into the country to reconnect with a precious person.

Director TAKADA’s graduation work from Nihon University College of Art, Touch is an aesthetically assured short that features a visual and aural polish from ICHIKAWA Yuichi’s cinematography and DATE Chiya’s music that amplifies excellent performances from the cast. [Jason MAHER]