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An engaging fish-out-of-water story, "Littlerock" is a nice snapshot of America through the eyes of people whom it frightens and entrances.
"Littlerock" is the story of Atsuko (Atsuko Okatsuko) and Rintaro (Rintaro Sawamoto), a sister and brother on a sightseeing journey to California who get quite an eyeful. The film is structured around letters from Atsuko to their father, and she reveals that Rintaro and their father had a recent falling-0ut.
Their car breaks down in Littlerock (California, not Arkansas), and, while holed up in a motel waiting for it to be repaired, they meet some guys partying in the next room — including Cory (Cory Zacharia), who immediately takes a shine to the travelers, particularly the attractive Atsuko (that she speaks no English doesn't stop him).
Atsuko is perhaps a bit sheltered and finds herself enjoying the attention from all of these American boys. Soon, she's spending the night with one (who is not Cory). When the car is finished, Atsuko decides she'd rather stay and enjoy some freedom rather than enslave herself to their trip, which eventually will see them visiting the town where their grandfather was held in an internment camp during World War II.
Rintaro is angry, but leaves his sister in the hands of Cory, who is a bit of a loser. He still lives with his parents, owes the wrong people money and thinks there's a romance going on with Atsuko, who doesn't seem to share that belief.
At its best "Littlerock" is enchanting and arresting as Atsuko struggles to communicate, hanging out with guys whom she can't even inform that she needs to use the restroom much less communicate any other thoughts.
The performances are strong, especially from Okatsuko, who speaks virtually all Japanese but shows great emotion in her face. She's puzzled, amused and later annoyed by Cory's cluelessness, and you can see her taking advantage of his attraction to her while he's thinking he's going to finagle her into the sack.
The film's finale is touching, heartbreaking and an interesting bookend to director Mike Ott's film, where one character muses that "People come to California because they're running away from something."