Q&A with Katsumi Nojiri

Koichi Suzuki, a thirtysomething hikikomori (shut-in), allows his mother to dotingly tend to his needs. When she learns that Koichi has killed himself, the shock is so great that she loses consciousness and her memory of that day. Worried that the truth might prompt a relapse, her husband and daughter decide to lie to her—and the fabrications just keep snowballing… until the family begins imploding with unspoken secrets. Lying to Mom marks an impressively mature feature debut by Katsumi Nojiri, a longtime AD (for veterans Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, Toshiaki Toyoda, Ryosuke Hashiguchi, and Yuya Ishii), who laces his tale with as much humor as grief.