We have experienced a mandatory lockdown, confining us all to our homes; Hikikomori: The Locked Generation looks at young people who feel compelled to live a reclusive way of life. Available on QFT Player from 7pm on Fri 26 Mar, free to watch for 24 hours.

‘Hikikomori’ is a Japanese word used to describe reclusive adolescents or adults who withdraw from the public world and seek extreme degrees of isolation. The phenomenon first gripped the population of Japan in the 1990s, thought to be triggered by the economic crisis and academic pressures imposed by society.

Today, this expression of modern suffering seems to be spreading elsewhere in the world, particularly in France, where it has been recognised by medical experts only recently. In both France and Japan, we follow psychiatrist Marie-Jeanne Guedj as she endeavours to understand ‘Hikikomori’ and treat those who are suffering from the condition.

This film was programmed for Imagine! by LUMI Young Programmers – find out more at queensfilmtheatre.com/LUMI.

Imagine! Festival of Ideas & Politics invites you to join them in discussing the big issues of our times, including new ideas on politics, culture and activism. Their programme of challenging events exploring this dangerous new world runs from 22 - 28 March, 2021.

Hikikomori: The Locked Generation will be available on QFT Player from 7pm on Friday 26 March, free to watch 24 hours.