When their single mother suddenly leaves them, four children have no choice but to make a life for themselves in the confines of their apartment.  Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda based the story on a 1988 event known as the "Affair of the Four Abandoned Children of Nishi-Sugamo."  (2004, 141 minutes, Japanese with English subtitles)

Sponsors:  The Smithsonian Associates