Children Untold

War may be over, but for the children of Miwa Nishikawa’s latest film — adapted from her forthcoming novel — survival has only begun.

Set amid the ruins of postwar Tokyo, this piercing portrait of childhood stolen by war follows 12-year-old Kotoko, who loses her family, disguises herself as a boy, and joins a group of orphans surviving through odd jobs, theft, black-market trading, and the fragile protection of a local gang. Meanwhile, her former teacher, Sone, burdened by poverty and guilt, sets out to find Kotoko, the student she failed to protect.

Nishikawa develops the story with remarkable sensitivity, never overlooking the realities of abandonment, abused childhoods, and the compromises forced upon children and adults alike, all without slipping into sentimentality. The film recalls Italian neorealism, particularly Vittorio De Sica’s Shoeshine, in its attention to children surviving amid postwar devastation, social neglect, and moral uncertainty — yet feels entirely contemporary in its acute gaze at youth denied. 

The young ensemble is remarkable. Ami Koyae is astonishing in her first leading role, capturing Kotoko’s transformation from model student to street survivor with extraordinary complexity and emotional control. The other actors are equally convincing, while Fumi Nikaido brings depth to Sone and Koji Yakusho is, as always, magnetic and commanding in a small but pivotal role.

Children Untold carries particular urgency today. As children continue to bear the consequences of conflicts around the world, the film asks what war does to the young and what responsibility adults and society bear toward those left unprotected.

GIOVANNA FULVI

Content advisory: mature themes