Chie Hayakawa's 'Renoir' is a contemplative drama that delves into the life of Fuki, a fifth-grader in 1987 Tokyo, as she confronts her father's terminal cancer. The film, devoid of sentimentality, captures Fuki's complex emotions and her attempts to understand mortality. With her father, Keiji (Lily Franky), increasingly incapacitated, Fuki's mother, Utako (Hikari Ishida), exhibits a numbness stemming from prolonged grief. Fuki, played by newcomer Yui Suzuki, oscillates between playful denial and a deep-seated awareness of her father's fate, reflected in her interactions and daydreams. The film's title references Fuki's admiration for Pierre-Auguste Renoir's painting 'Little Irène', symbolizing her quest for understanding in a world shadowed by death. Hayakawa's narrative critiques societal attitudes towards aging, paralleling themes from her debut film, 'Plan 75'. As both Fuki and Utako seek emotional connections—Fuki through a phone dating service and Utako through a workplace romance—the film poignantly questions the impact of childhood sorrows on adult life. 'Renoir' ultimately portrays a delicate balance between the innocence of youth and the harsh realities of existence.