Gentle, empathetic and deliberately non-confrontational, Close Knit is definitely on the mild-mannered end of the spectrum when it comes to movies dealing with transgender issues.

Ogigami's look at the connection of Tomo and Makio is very sensitive, presenting the latter as a very gentle, loving and disillusioned about her situation individual, not neglecting though, to present the issues she has with her own mother

A delicate, heart-warming film which touches on serious topics like discrimination and ignorance, without finding the need to raise the stakes with unnecessary scenes of conflict.

Close-Knit leaves a lasting impression not simply of the injustice faced by transgender people, but also of what joy there could be if society were more tolerant.