Heart of the Country

Throughout the schoolyear, Mr Yasumoto, the headmaster of Kanayama elementary school, and his team of teachers try to create an ideal atmosphere fot the children they care for. Beyond delicate observation of everyday life in this little village in Hokkaido, from morning gymnastics to the graduating ceremony, the film takes the viewer into the world of Japanese values, revealing how the school, the family and the community are bound together in a self-perpetuating relationship based on obligation, mutual responsibility and trust.