Directors often get kudos for extracting naturalistic performances from children who have little acting experience. Hirokazu Kore-eda is one such director, but in the popular “I Wish” (2011), his two child leads were already famous as a manzai comedy duo. They were show biz professionals, not amateurs simply being themselves on screen.
There is a similar dynamic at work in “How Dare You,” Mipo Oh’s winsomely entertaining film about childhood crushes and escapades. Its light comic tone is completely different from the director’s usual dark dramas, and her three young leads, all with impressive acting credits, deliver professional performances.
The original script by Ryo Takada, who worked with Oh on “The Light Shines Only There” (2014) and “Being Good” (2015), tells a story that delves into serious issues, environmental destruction being at the top of the list, but plays like an updated version of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”; the central trio devise and execute pranks that double as protests — and occasionally result in some not-so-comic blowback.
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