The Knoxville Public Library will host its monthly international film on Thursday, March 21st, featuring a Japanese movie by a director who was partly inspired by his own father, and partly by “The Wizard of Oz.”

“Kikujiro” will be shown beginning at 6:00 p.m. on the 21st; the film by director Takeshi Kitano concerns a man who reluctantly accompanies a young neighbor on a trip to visit his long-lost mother. The idea of going on a road trip was loosely inspired by “The Wizard of Oz” and the main character is based on Kitano’s own father.

Roslin Thompson from the Knoxville Public Library tells KNIA/KRLS News showing foreign-made films allows the view to get a different perspective on life through another culture.

“It allows us to zoom out, kind of, and take a bigger picture of where we are in the world, where we place ourselves in the world. I like that idea about the international films,” Thompson says.

This film is family-oriented, which is a bit of a departure for Kitano; he’s best known outside Japan for his work on crime dramas.