Beautifully shot, well-casted remake

Oshin (Kokone Hamada) lives with her family in the remote Japanese countryside. In Japan's old patriarchal society, young women from poor families were sent out to work as servants. And one day, Oshin's father (Goro Inagki) decides this is what the seven-year-old should do.

The obedient Oshin goes along with the plan. She meets a variety of people - a scarily strict family, a deserted soldier - before finally ending up at the posh home of the family that runs Kaga-ya, a rice wholesaler. How will Oshin be treated there?

The film focuses only on the early part of the original 297-episode series, but is still an interesting watch.

Kokone's acting is stunning, especially when she has tears streaming down her face. But she's not just a cute face: her tenacity is admirable, as she had to do all sorts of tasks in freezing weather.

For Kokone, the film will be just one chapter in her acting story. The effect of the film's storyline and beautiful shots will stay with the audience much longer.

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