"Fumiko no Umi"

Director: Akio Kondo

Language: Japanese

Fumiko no Umi © 2007 C.A.L.

A blind girl faces a series of hardships — poverty, discrimination, the death of a friend, and more, but she never gives up hope. To make a living, Fumiko (Riko Suzuki), who is around 10, is apprenticed to a masseuse. While coping with intense training, Fumiko also studies braille. Based on a true story about Kiyo Awazu (1919-1988), a blind woman who devoted her life to the education of blind children, what is supposed to be a moving story comes across as a mawkish TV drama.