About the Pink Sky

Izumi, a headstrong high-school girl with a cheerfully cynical outlook -she routinely "rates" the newspaper by assigning articles positive or negative values- finds a wallet containing 300,000 yen (almost $4,000) and the owner's ID: Sato, a wealthy high-school boy. Instead of returning it, Izumi lends a hefty sum to an older fishing buddy with financial problems. Her classmates Hasumi and Kaoru later force her to return the wallet to Sato, but, unable to account for all of the money, Izumi agrees to help him console a friend in the hospital by creating a newspaper containing only "good news."

Keiichi Kobayashi?s serene, coming-of-age story avoids the customary trappings of teen culture and genre with a pronounced sense of quiet. With its lively, black-and-white cinematography and long takes, Kobayashi?s aesthetic?drained of color and clutter?feels like a dream or a distant memory. About the Pink Sky owes its underlying energy to the young actors (all newcomers) with real chemistry, who deftly balance the quirky humor, teenage uncertainty, and subtle shifts in adolescent consciousness.

• Drama