Rumi Sakakibara

A Japanese drama about loneliness, the sensuality of a mature woman and coming to terms with oneself. (Pathfinder Pictures)

Marco and his family live in Genoa, Italy, a poor town where many local Italians went to work overseas. Marco's mother, Anna, is among one of them. Initially, Anna keeps writing back home while working in Argentina, but one day, the letters stopped. The boy then decides to search for his mother. Despite the journey's difficulties, Marco heads off into Argentina's interior, to meet his mother. (imdb)

Torah returns to Shibamata. There he learns that his mother Kiku is bored in the city. Reluctantly, he is persuaded to visit them. There is a dispute between the two, because the mother wants grandchildren and Torah seems unable to ever win a wife for himself. Sadly Torah draws away again travels on and meets the sweet Hanako. She appears to be mentally a little slow. He lovingly cares for her and gives her his address. Later on she shows up in Shibamata.

Adaptation of Charles Perrault's fairy tale of the same name. (enwiki)