Kita no kuni kara '92 Sudachi Part 1

There is a man who divorced his wife. He moved to rural Hokkaido from Tokyo where he lived with his family without running water or electricity. He has his son and daughter in tow and works hard for them. The folk in the area try to help. A couple of years pass and the older son moves back to Tokyo, attends school and works part-time. The daughter commutes to the city to attend school. She wants to become a nurse. To become a registered nurse she needs to study a further three years. This takes money.

Directed by Shigemichi Sugita, Kita no kuni kara '92 Sudachi Part 1 leans on a strong ensemble — Kunie Tanaka, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Tomoko Nakajima — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1992.