Grapples with big themes in interesting ways.

At times obvious and overt. And yet, its conception as a tale of language and suppressed secrets lends itself to these broad strokes, and allows its actors to dig gradually deeper into surprisingly complex notions of identity.

Mariko’s film doesn’t solve the riddle of love across cultures or languages, but it lingers like the memory of a conversation you wish you’d managed to finish.

Dear Stranger has its issues, and perhaps Mariko could have exercised more restraint in the scope of his story. Yet in the end, the work provides a thought-provoking and emotionally intense exploration of a shattering family and its losses