• Director: Mike Ott
• Writer: MIke Ott, Atsuko Okatsuka, Carl McLaughlin
• Cast: Atsuko Okatsuka, Cory Zacharia, Rintaro Sawamoto, Roberto 'Sanz' Sanchez
• Theatrical Release Date: August 12, 2011 7:21 AM
• Criticwire: B+
• On The Web Film WebsiteIMDB Entry

Synopsis: "LITTLEROCK, the second feature film from CalArts grad Mike Ott, however, forces the viewer off the road. An opening shot of the San Gabriels with a voiceover of a Japanese woman humming above the drone of a bus engine imbues the scene with an almost ethereal quality; the mountains becoming something intangible, unfathomable. With a cut to a black title sequence and a close-up of the young woman, there is no other choice but to stop, to step into the dusty world beyond the asphalt. There is a strong sense of dislocation, particularly when we see the main character, Atsuko (Atsuko Okatsuka) and her brother Rintaro (Rintaro Sawamoto) stranded at the bus stop after their car breaks down; the first line of dialogue (in Japanese): 'Is this the right place?' In fact, add a couple of prefixes to the word 'location' and it’s easy to get a sense of what LITTLEROCK is about: dislocation and relocation, both the physical and psychological spaces the characters inhabit." [Courtesy of Katie Datko/AFI Fest blog]