Yukinori Makabe's debut feature film is a rewording of the classic coming-of-age story, a coming-of-monk story.  I Am a Monk details the protagonist Susumu's (Atsushi Ito) transition from a regular member of the community into monkhood.  The transition is not a smooth one, as Susumu attempts to juggle his responsibilities as a friend and son with the responsibilities of being a spiritual leader.  Thrust into this new position, Susumu is not entirely willing or prepared to do what is expected of him.

The titular declaration, I Am a Monk, is one that is questioned several times throughout the film.  The monks do not behave the way they are conventionally portrayed on-screen.  The title of monk brings to mind characteristics such as respectfulness, kindness, and holiness.  These particular men of religious importance stare at pretty women, use their cell phones often, and indulge in too many beers at dinner.  Susumu is blatantly judged at one point in the film, when he drunkenly scales a wall to break into a depressed friend's apartment.  A friend who watches this asks, "Should a monk be doing this?"  Susumu responds with, "Nobody should be doing it."  He knows his actions go against the behavior of a typical monk, yet he struggles to honor his duty to the temple over his best friends.

Kudos are in order for the excellently-paced screenplay of Kenya Hirata based on a story by Missei Shirakawa.  Hirata is able to balance light-as-a-feather comedy and bits of drama with ease.  Each moment drifts into the next so effortlessly, and this is a wonderful feat considering the mix of comedic and dramatic scenes. The film, which is hard to peg into one single genre, will take viewers immediately from a funny scene pitting the monks against the farmers in a game of baseball to a sad scene in which Susumu receives unfortunate news.  The tone changes are not too abrupt, allowing the movie to flow easily from beginning to end.

Much of the camerawork is static, with a deep focus, natural lighting, and a lack of quick cutting.  This allows Makabe to preserve the serene nature of the film, and to show off the beautiful Japanese architecture that fills his scenes.  The orchestral score avoids bashing the viewer over the head with heavy sounds, and drawing too much attention to itself.  I Am a Monk is a simple story translated effectively with the use of subtle, but effective techniques.

This film is screening as part of Japan Cuts, which runs from July 14-24 at Japan Society.