| FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC |
| Connected Event: Modern-Day Hermits: The Story of Hikikomori in Japan and Beyond, a lecture by Alan Teo, M.D. on November 8, 2012. |
Special guests in attendance will include the film's director and writer, Laurence Thrush, and executive producer, Takao Saiki.
The Story
"Hiroshi, a disaffected teenage boy, is struggling at school and one day shuts himself away in his bedroom. For the next two years he refuses to come out or let anyone else in. Hiroshi’s parents are so ashamed by what has happened that they attempt to conceal his condition from friends and family. Inevitably, the household disintegrates. The story is based on the condition of Hikikomori, which is estimated to affect 1 million young Japanese".
-Excerpt from Official Left Handed website; visit the link for a full synopsis.
About Hikikomori
"Hikikomori is a state in which, due to some emotional distress encountered at school, in the family or society in general, an individual becomes self-defensive and refuses to go out of his own house or room. After a certain period of time, the individual may become stricken with a feeling that he has to do something about his situation, but often, the person himself or his family are unable to seize any opportunity to go out, the feeling of resignation grows, and their condition deteriorates. As years go by, the individual gradually loses the will to go outside on his own initiative. Only a third party can break through this odd stagnation in the family. By visiting the individual repeatedly, a third party unravels their locked emotions. Eventually, a will to improve the situation will return." -Sadatsugu Kudo, NPO Youth Support Center
(1 hour 50 minutes; Blu-Ray; In Japanese with English subtitles.)
Event sponsored by CJS and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program.
