Like Grains of Sand

A searing drama of love, compassion and sexual identity, this is the War and Peace of high school romances. Shy, sensitive Ito (Okada) yearns for the love of his best friend, but though the straight Yoshida (Kusano) stands by Ito when their classmates realise he's gay, Yoshida cannot - will not - embrace him. It's an audacious, brave film, with strongly developed themes and characters (exceptionally well played by the teenage cast), but the director's narrative grasp is less impressive, and in the end, the search for a big, uncompromising statement shows signs of strain.