2018 Cannes Marathon: After the Storm

(Played in the Un Certain Regarde Section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival)

Written, directed, and edited by Hirokazu Koreeda, After the Storm is the story of a failed writer turned private detective who tries to reconnect with his ex-wife and son as he copes with his own failures in life as well as impending typhoon. The film is a family drama in which a man tries get his life on track as well as deal with his own shortcomings. Starring Hiroshi Abe, Kirin Kiki, and Yoko Maki. After the Storm is a touching yet evocative film from Hirokazu Koreeda.

The film follows a former novelist who works as a private detective that is trying to get his life on track as he learns his ex-wife is dating another man as he also deals with an upcoming typhoon coming near the home of his mother. It’s a film that has a simple premise as it plays into a man who had a lot of promise after his first novel but has been unable to create another as he’s only achieved critical success. Working as a private detective for an agency, Ryota Shinoda (Hiroshi Abe) barely makes the money and whatever huge payday het gets. He would gamble it away as he’s often late to pay child support and is reluctant to ask his mother Yoshiko (Kirin Kiki) for money as he had already helped pay for his father’s funeral.

Hirokazu Koreeda’s screenplay follows Ryota dealing with the shortcomings as he doesn’t get to see his son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa) often though he would see his baseball game from afar where he notices his ex-wife Kyoko (Yoko Maki) with a new boyfriend. Even as he suspects his sister Chinatsu (Satomi Kobayashi) of getting money from her mother for her daughter’s figure skating lessons as it would play into the despair he endures in his life. Upon a day with Shingo as he asks him about Kyoko’s new boyfriend, it would be a major day where everyone would deal with the typhoon that is to come as it would bring revelations for everyone in Ryota’s family circle.

Koreeda’s direction is simple in its minimalist approach as there’s very little movement in the camera other than a few tracking shots of the characters walking outside in a park or near an apartment. Instead, much of Koreeda’s direction emphasizes on simple static shots whether it’s in a wide shot, a medium shot, or a close-up if it’s needed on a certain object. The lack of movement in the cameras help play into the dramatic elements of the film as well as a few comedic moments such as Ryota’s work as a private detective with his young partner Kento Machida (Sosuke Ikematsu). Much of it showcase Ryota’s own flaws as a person as he would sneak in at one point to talk to Shingo at a bathroom restaurant where Kyoko is having dinner with her new boyfriend. 

Also serving as the film’s editor, Koreeda maintains a style that is straightforward as it relates to the way the characters talk with one another with the film’s climax being at Yoshiko’s home where Ryota takes Shingo to meet his grandmother whom he’s fond of. When Kyoko arrives to pick up Shingo, Yoshiko suggests that Kyoko and Shingo should stay as it relates to this typhoon as there is that sense of danger over how intense the typhoon could be. It’s a moment where the family comes together and face this storm that could kill them or be something else. Overall, Koreeda crafts an intoxicating and rapturous film about a writer’s attempt to reconnect with his family and deal with his shortcomings in an impending typhoon.

Cinematographer Yutaka Yamasaki does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward to play into the look of the scenes at night including the climatic typhoon sequence as well as the naturalistic look for the scenes in the day. Art director Keiko Mitsumatsu and set decorator Akiko Matsuba do fantastic work with the look of Yoshiko’s apartment as well as the home that Ryota lives in. Costume designer Kazuko Kurosawa does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual with the exception of the ragged suits that Ryota wears in his job. The sound work of Yutaka Tsurumaki is terrific for its naturalistic approach to the sound in capturing some of the sparse elements of the locations the characters encounter. The film’s music by Hanaregumi is wonderful for its low-key score that is emphasized largely by somber piano music with some folk-pop songs as part of the film’s soundtrack.

The casting by Toshie Tabata is superb as it feature a few notable small roles from Lily Franky as a magma writer offering Ryota a chance to contribute to a magma series and Sosuke Ikematsu as Ryota’s young partner Kento Machida who provides some commentary into Ryota’s situation. Satomi Kobayashi is wonderful as Ryota’s sister Chinatsu as a woman who is more responsible than her brother as she knows him very well about his financial situation as she is trying to get her daughter’s figure skating career going. Taiyo Yoshizawa is fantastic as Shingo as Ryota’s son who copes with his mother’s new boyfriend whom he’s not really fond of as he knows he isn’t able to see his dad yet prefers him more than the new boyfriend.

Yoko Maki is excellent as Ryota’s ex-wife Kyoko as a woman trying to move on with a new boyfriend as she is also concerned about Shingo as well as ensuring he gets all of the things needed for a child. Kirin Kiki is brilliant as Ryota’s mother Yoshiko as a recently-widowed woman who is aware that she is going to die soon yet manages to find new hobbies and joy in her life as well as be concerned about Ryota’s own place in the world. Finally, there’s Hiroshi Abe in an amazing performance as Ryota Shinoda as a failed novelist turned private detective who copes with his own shortcomings and flaws as he tries to be a good father to his son as well as realize he’s still in love with his ex-wife where they all suddenly come together in this typhoon with his mother.

After the Storm is an incredible film from Hirokazu Koreeda. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a simple yet effective approach to storytelling, and enchanting music. It’s a touching film that play into a man trying to do things right despite his own flaws as he also knows how much he cares for his family. In the end, After the Storm is a remarkable film from Hirokazu Koreeda.

Hirokazu Koreeda Films: (Lessons from a Calf) - (However) - (August Without Him) - (This World) - (Without Memory) - Maborosi - (After Life) - (Distance) - Nobody Knows - (Hana) - Still Walking - (Air Doll) - (I Wish) - (Life Father, Like Son) – Our Little Sister - (The Third Murder) – (Shoplifters)

© thevoid99 2018

2017 Cannes Marathon: Our Little Sister

(Played in Competition for the Palme d’Or at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on the manga series Umimachi Diaries by Akimi Yoshida, Our Little Sister is the story of three women who learn about the death of their father as well as the realization that they have a fourteen-year old half-sister who has no one to take care of her. Written for the screen, edited, and directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, the film is an exploration of sisterhood and family where three women deal with the estrangement and loss of their father as well as the new person in their life. Starring Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Suzu Hirose, and Kaho. Our Little Sister is a ravishing and evocative film from Hirokazu Koreeda.

Set mainly in the seaside city of Kamamura, the film revolves around three women who take in their fourteen-year old half-sister following the death of their estranged father as they all deal with his loss but also the things that led to the estrangement and other issues revolving around them. It’s a film with a simple premise that explores four women who share the same father but one of them has a different mother as they all deal with living together in their grandmother’s home as well as other things in their lives. Hirokazu Koreeda’s screenplay doesn’t really go for any kind of traditional narrative structure as it’s more about the building of a relationship between these three women and their newly-discovered half-sister whom they invite to live with them. The eldest in Sachi Koda (Haruka Ayase) is a woman works at a hospital as a nurse as she is the most maternal of the three as she had helped raise her two younger sisters since their father left them for another woman and their mother would suddenly abandon them after the fallout of the affair.

The other two sisters in the banker Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa) and the 21-year old shoe store clerk Chika (Kaho) are also trying to live their lives and go through some form of growing pains as they would take in their 14-year old half-sister Suzu Asano (Suzu Hirose) as they knew about her for a while but never really got to know her. Much of the film is about these four women living together in this small town as they introduce Suzu to this very warm and lively community of people that includes a diner owner they’ve known since they were kids as well as a regular customer of that diner and their great aunt who is a little hesitant about meeting Suzu. Yet, Suzu would eventually fit in with her new surroundings as she also becomes close to her older sisters as it would play into the development of all four women. Especially as Sachi is having an affair with a married colleague while Yoshino’s life of being with men who aren’t good would finally take its toll.

Koreeda’s direction also takes a very simple approach to the story as it is largely shot on location in Kamamura as the town itself is a character in the film. While Koreeda would use some wide shots to establish much of the film’s locations as well as some scenes around the house of the four sisters. He would favor something that is more intimate as it is the right tone of the film where Koreeda doesn’t really go for anything stylistic other than in the compositions which definitely captures a lot of depth in the image. Especially with the medium and some of the wide shots in capturing the four sisters in a single frame as there aren’t many close-ups in the film so that Koreeda can focus on the four sisters together or individually. There are moments of humor but it’s mostly subtle as is some of the drama where it is very restrained as Koreeda is more about building up the relationship between Suzu and her three older sisters. Notably in these little moments where there’s a reveal about Suzu’s relationship with her father as it raises question about what her sisters missed out on.

Koreeda would also create little subplots in the film that help add to the development whether it’s Chika watching over Suzu with a friend or Yoshino trying to help the diner owner with her finances. It all has something that does feel natural as it’s also Koreeda would create these scenes and dramatic moments very patiently which includes a key meeting between the three sisters and their mother during a memorial service for their late grandmother. There is a sense of tension that is looming but Koreeda chooses not to go overboard as he knows where to hit the right notes. Also serving as the film’s editor, Koreeda would maintain that simplicity as he only uses a few fade-outs for transitional reasons where it is about these sisters bonding as it would include moments that are very touching without the need to be overly sentimental as Koreeda knows where to hit the right notes. Overall, Koreeda creates an intoxicating and rapturous film about three women bonding with their newly-discovered half-sister.

Cinematographer Mikiya Takimoto does excellent work with the film’s very naturalistic yet colorful cinematography as it doesn’t aim for any kind of particular style but rather something very straightforward including some of the scenes set at night. Production designer Keiko Mitsumatsu, with set decorator Ayako Matsuo and art director Mami Kagamoto, does brilliant work with the design of the home the sisters live in as well as the interiors of the local diner they go to as well as some places in the city. Costume designer Sachiko Ito does nice work with the costumes as it is very straightforward as the clothes play to the personality of the characters along with the robes they wear for a local ceremony in the summer. Sound mixer Yukata Tsurumaki does wonderful work with the sound as it also presented in a very simple manner to play into the atmosphere at the house and areas in the city. The film’s music by Yoko Kanno is incredible for its usage of sumptuous string arrangements that is very low-key but very effective as it help sets a tone for the drama without overdoing the scene or the moment.

The casting by Toshie Tabata is fantastic as it feature some notable small roles from Kirin Kiki as great-aunt Fumiyo, Lily Franky as the diner owner Sen-ichi, Jun Fubuki as the estranged mother, Shinichi Tsutsumi as a diner regular who knew their father, and Ryo Kase as a colleague of Yoshino who would help her settle financial matters for Sen-ichi. The performances of Suzu Hirose, Kaho, Masami Nagasawa, and Haruka Ayase are phenomenal in their respective roles as Suzu, Chika, Yoshino, and Sachi. Hirose’s performance as Suzu is a joy to watch as a 14-year old coming of age as she exudes an air of innocence into her performance while Kaho’s role as Chika is full of energy and wit as someone who is young but also responsible as she is very excited about being an older sister for Suzu.

Nagasawa’s performance as Yoshino is fun to watch as someone who goes from being a typical mid-20s woman who likes to have fun and sleep around to being responsible as she does whatever she can to help out a family friend. Ayase’s performance of Sachi is definitely the most reserved as the eldest of the four sisters as she is also the most maternal as she acts as a mother figure to Suzu while also be very flawed in her own situations. The four women together have this potent chemistry that is just incredible to watch as it feels like they are sisters as they fight, laugh, and cry together as they are a major highlight of the film.

Our Little Sister is a tremendous film from Hirokazu Koreeda. Featuring a remarkable ensemble cast as well as a very simplistic yet engrossing story that is carried with gorgeous images and its location. It’s a film that manages to provide so much by doing so little as it prove that even something ordinary like a story about sisters can be extraordinary and more. In the end, Our Little Sister is a magnificent film from Hirokazu Koreeda.

Hirokazu Koreeda Films: (Lessons from a Calf) - (However) - (August Without Him) - (This World) - (Without Memory) - Maborosi - (After Life) - (Distance) - Nobody Knows - (Hana) - Still Walking - (Air Doll) - (I Wish) - (Life Father, Like Son (2013 film)) - After the Storm - (The Third Murder) - (The Shoplifters)

© thevoid99 2017

Still Walking

Written, directed, and edited by Hirokazu Koreeda, Still Walking is the story about a family coming together to commemorate the anniversary of the death of their eldest son as they all spend their time together. The film is an exploration into the world of family from young and old as they all revel in the small joys of life. Starring Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, and You. Still Walking is a touching yet exhilarating film from Hirokazu Koreeda.

A family gathering is always a chance for different generations of people to come together and enjoy each other’s company no matter how flawed they are. In this story, it is about a family coming together to commemorate the death of a loved one as they do every year. Yet, the circumstances are different as one of the family members in Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) arrives with a new wife and his young stepson as they’re about to meet his family for the first time. At the home where his parents live as his older sister also arrive with her husband and two kids to celebrate the passing of their brother Junpei. The family gather to eat and play around though Ryota still has issues with his father (Yoshio Harada) over Ryota’s chosen profession feeling that Ryota should’ve maintained the family business in being a doctor. Still, the family come together to eat and talk about all sorts of things all in the span of an entire day.

While the film doesn’t have much of a script, Hirokazu Koreeda maintains that idea of family as they all come together to talk and such while the kids help out their grandmother in preparing food for the day. Even as the conversations often talk about death, life, food, and the little things though the father is somewhat detached often making criticism over some things. Still, he participates in all of the family activities while they have a couple of visitors coming in including a young man who felt responsible over Junpei’s death. There are some revelations about some of these visits as well as other things in the family where it involves things like records and such. Even as certain ceremonies are performed in this particular day.

Koreeda’s direction is quite straightforward in the way he presents compositions by keeping the camera still yet he does manage to do a few things where the camera is moving. Notably in scenes that takes place outside of the house where Ryota and his family walk to the hill with his mother to visit Junpei’s gravestone as well as scenes where the children play outside. Koreeda maintains a lot of some simplistic yet effective compositions to capture the dynamic of family of how they conduct their activities and lives in a small, confined space such as their parents’ home. The shots are often intimate yet very lively despite the restrained tone of the performances that is also shown in the film‘s more elliptical yet low-key editing. Still, there’s a lot that Koreeda puts into these images that play out the idea of family who are devoted to one another including Ryota’s wife Yukari (Yui Natsukawa) and her son Atsushi (Shohei Tanaka) who find themselves becoming part of the family. Overall, Koreeda creates a very moving yet engrossing film about family.

Cinematographer Yutaka Yamasaki does brilliant work with the film‘s photography from the low-key yet intimate shots of many of the film‘s interior settings to the gorgeous look of the film‘s exterior setting to complement this mix of city life with nature. Art directors Toshihiro Isomi and Keiko Mitsumatsu do wonderful work with the look of the family home that is this mix of old-school Japanese home with a bit of a modern look as it includes some little details such as the decaying tiles in the bathtub that says a lot.

Costume designer Kazuko Kurosawa does terrific work with the costumes as a lot of it is casual for the younger characters while the older ones dress in more conservative clothing. The sound work of Yutaka Tsurumaki and Shuji Ohtake is superb for the intimacy that is captured in the home as well as the sounds of the beach and trees in some of the film‘s exterior setting. The music of Gontini is just a true delight as it’s a very simple and understated piece led by a plaintive acoustic guitar to play out the innocence while the film’s soundtrack includes a pop song by Ayumi Ishida called Blue Light Yokohama that reveals a mother’s youthfulness.

The film’s cast is just phenomenal as it features some noteworthy performances from Susumu Terajima as a sushi delivery man, Ryoga Hayashi and Hotaru Nomoto as Ryota’s nephew and nieces respectively, Kazua Takahashi as Ryota’s kind-hearted brother-in-law Nobuo, and Haruko Kato as a man who visit the family who blames himself for Junpei’s death. You is amazing as Ryota’s older sister Chinami who does a lot of the talking while being observant over what is happening in the family. Shohei Tanaka is wonderful as Ryota’s stepson Atsushi who finds himself as an outsider in this gathering yet starts to fit in with this new family while pondering about his own late father. Kirin Kiki is great as Ryota’s mother Toshiko as she is this eccentric yet loving woman who is so full of heart and joy as she is just a joy to watch.

Yoshio Harada is amazing as Ryota’s father Kyohei as he is this retired doctor who feels lost as a retired man while grumbling about the decisions Ryota made yet finds himself enjoying the company of Atsushi and Yukari. Yui Natsukawa is fantastic as Yukari who arrives to the family home as a newcomer as she finds herself intrigued by Toshiko’s kindness as well as some of the dysfunctions of Ryota’s family. Finally, there’s Hiroshi Abe in a remarkable performance as Ryota as this man who is a bit reluctant to attend this family gathering while he faces some of the issues he has with his father while finding moments where he finds a strong bond with his family.

Still Walking is an incredible film from Hirokazu Koreeda. With a great cast and beautiful location settings, it is truly one of the most poignant films to explore the dynamic of family as well as how a family comes to term with loss and hope for new beginnings. For fans of Koreeda, this film is definitely one of his most accessible as well as something that truly transcends all barriers in creating a film that is universal. In the end, Still Walking is a sensational film from Hirokazu Koreeda.

Hirokazu Koreeda Films: (Lessons from a Calf) - (However) - (August Without Him) - Maborosi - (This World) - (Without Memory) - (After Life) - (Distance) - Nobody Knows - (Hana) - (Air Doll) - (I Wish) - (Like Father, Like Son (2013 film)) - Our Little Sister - After the Storm - (The Third Murder) - (The Shoplifters)

© thevoid99 2013

Maborosi

Based on the novel by Teru Miyamoto, Maborosi is the story about a young woman who deals with the loss of her husband as she is trying to raise her newborn child. While dealing with grief, she tries to start a new life as she begins a relationship with a widow. Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda and screenplay by Yoshihisa Ogita, the film is about loss as well as the journey to move forward just as a new phase in life is about to begin. Starring Makiko Esumi, Tadanobu Asano, and Takashi Naito. Maborosi is a captivating drama from Hirokazu Koreeda.

The film is about the life of this young woman who loses her husband three months after their child is born as she tries to deal with his death years later after marrying a widower and living in a seaside town. Though it is this simple story about grief, it is also about a woman trying to figure out why her husband had supposedly killed himself as she also ponders about her grandmother’s disappearance when she was just a child. In the aftermath of this loss, the woman known as Yumiko (Makiko Esumi) seems to finally get her life in order as she marries a widower in Tamio (Takashi Naito) where things seemed fine. On her return to Osaka to attend her brother’s wedding, memories of her first husband appear as she becomes distant and ravaged with grief over the loss she had faced.

The film’s screenplay takes place in the span of a several years as it begins with Yumiko’s first encounter with loss when her grandmother just suddenly disappears when she was just a child. Her relationship with her longtime childhood friend Ikuo (Tadanobu Asano) that later spawned a happy marriage and the birth of their son Yuichi seemed to calm things down until Ikuo’s death. Then the story moves years later as Yuichi has become a few years older and Yumiko seems to get her life back on track as she and Yuichi move to a small seaside town to live with Tamio and his daughter. Yet, the specter of death starts to loom following Yumiko’s brief return to Osaka as she comes back troubled while worrying about the people around her.

Hirokazu Koreeda’s direction definitely recalls a lot of the striking compositions of the revered Yasujiro Ozu in terms of its framing and evocative images where the camera stay still. While Koreeda does utilize a few tracking shots in some instances to capture a moment of joy or in the realm of melancholia. The direction is more about this woman’s grief as she is always remaining still in her surroundings as she is just contemplating all of the loss she had been through. Even as the film’s third act has her dealing with that loss as well as worrying about those around her where Koreeda uses some medium wide shots to establish her distance. Along with some entrancing wide shots and other stylistic compositions, Koreeda displays a sensitivity to the way he creates images while keeping the performances low-key in order to explore that world of grief. Overall, Koreeda creates a truly intoxicating and haunting film about death.

Cinematographer Masao Nakabori does excellent work with the film‘s colorful yet slightly-static photography from the sunnier look of Osaka to the more naturalistic yet low-key look of the seaside town with some wonderful interior lighting schemes to help set the mood. Editor Tomoyo Oshima does terrific work with the editing by maintaining a very straightforward approach to the cutting to play out Yumiko‘s anguish. Production designer Kyoko Heya and set decorators Keiji and Yoshihito Akatsuta do nice work with the look of Tamio’s home as well as the old home that Yumiko used to live in.

Costume designer Michiko Kitamura does some fantastic work with the costumes as a lot of the characters wear black clothes to establish that air of loss while putting on some colorful clothes to display the sense of happiness they feel. The film’s music by Cheng Kwan Ming is truly exquisite for the melancholia that is captured as it features some somber piano pieces and some evocative folk-based music to play out the tone of the film.

The film’s cast is brilliant as it features some notable small roles from Naomi Watanabe as Tamio’s daughter Tomoko, Mutsuko Sakura as an old woman Yumiko meets, Akira Emoto as Tamio’s father, Midori Kiuchi as Yumiko’s mother and Gohki Kashiyama as Yumiko‘s young son Yuichi. Tadanobu Asano is terrific in his small role as Yumiko’s first husband Ikuo who provides Yumiko a lot of happiness early in the film until he disappears. Takashi Naito is excellent as Yumiko’s second husband Tamio who tries to make Yumiko happy while being baffled by her sudden distance towards him. Finally, there’s Makiko Esumi in an entrancing performance as Yumiko where Esumi brings a restraint to her role as this woman dealing with loss as well as trying to find answers over what happened as it’s a very mesmerizing performance.

Maborosi is a remarkable film from Hirokazu Koreeda that features a stunning performance from Makiko Esumi. It’s a film that truly captures the sense of anguish and confusing that arises over death as well as the feeling of uncertainty about wanting to move on. For audiences new to Koreeda, this film is definitely a worthy start as it unveils some of the themes of family that he would explore in his later work. In the end, Maborosi is a hypnotically rich film from Hirokazu Koreeda.

Hirokazu Koreeda Films: (Lessons from a Calf) - (However) - (August Without Him) - (This World) - (Without Memory) - (After Life) - (Distance) - Nobody Knows - (Hana) - Still Walking - (Air Doll) - (I Wish) - (Like Father, Like Son (2013 film)) - Our Little Sister - After the Storm - (The Third Murder) - (The Shoplifters)

© thevoid99 2013

Nobody Knows

Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 5/19/09 w/ Additional Edits.

Written, directed, and edited by Hirokazu Koreeda, Dare mo shiranai (Nobody Knows) tells the story of four young children, abandoned by their mother, as they each try to survive on their own. The film is a tale of how children interact in the huge city of Tokyo while trying to survive without their mother as they're each birthed by different fathers. Starring Yuya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu, Hanae Kan, You, and Kazumi Kushida. Dare mo shiranai is a lively yet harrowing film from Hirokazu Koreeda.

Arriving to Tokyo with lots of baggage and things, a mother named Keiko (You) and her 12-year old son Akira (Yuya Yagira) both arrive into an apartment which they will be living. Inside 3 large luggage carriers are three other children. The eldest daughter Kyoko (Ayu Kitaura), the youngest son Shigeru (Hiei Kimura), and the five-year-old daughter Yuki (Momoko Shimizu). With Akira sent to do all the shopping for groceries and things while Keiko goes to work, the three younger children all have to live in the apartment quietly and without any noise. Kyoko meanwhile, has to do all the laundry in secrecy. Things seem well until Keiko starts to meet a man whom she's infatuated by where she was suddenly gone for a month. Akira now has to take care for his three siblings, all of whom have different fathers, as he and Kyoko cook for the younger kids. Though left with money, Akira knows that getting some cash will be short as he turns to a couple of Keiko's ex-boyfriends, one of whom is Yuki's father, a cab driver (Yuichi Kimura).

Keiko returns to bring presents and such but Akira feels resentment towards Keiko's absence as she reveals she's got a job in Osaka and says she will return for the Christmas holidays. With Christmas coming, the kids are excited but for some reason, Keiko doesn't return as Akira learns that she quit her job. Carefully spending the money they have in a bank account, Akira takes Yuki out of the apartment for her birthday to see the sights of Tokyo. While Akira has aspirations to play baseball, he couldn't help but have the chance to make friends and do the things kids his age and older are doing. One day, he does do those things but Kyoko starts to worry that it might cause some money problem as a gas bill payment is now overdue. Suddenly, the kids Akira thought were his friends abandoned him as money is suddenly becoming smaller and smaller with Keiko not likely to return.

After deciding to end the isolation, all four kids decided to roam through Tokyo and spend the last of their money on things they needed. Yet, it would become a test of survival as they're faced with no power, water, or gas. After befriending a schoolgirl named Saki (Hanae Kan), she visits them frequently as she becomes friends with the four kids but is aware of their situation. After deciding to help Akira with his financial troubles, Saki makes a move where Akira is suddenly isn't so sure about what Saki did. The emotional frustration and despairing heat of the Tokyo summer finally forces upon the harsh realization that Akira and his siblings have to fend for themselves with their mother not likely to return at all.

The film is based on a true story of a 1988 incident in which a woman abandons four children that would lead to tragic outcome. Writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda takes those events but creates something less grim but still dealt with realism. In the film, it's really about how a 12-year old child struggles to help maintain the survival of his young siblings while dealing with the grim realities he has to face. Therefore, his chances to live a part of his childhood becomes harder to do while his siblings have to hide from people at the apartment and their landlord. Of course, this isolation causes problems which eventually led for the character of Akira to give his siblings the freedom they crave against their mother's rules. Without their mother and money, it's up to them to fend for themselves.

While the script is largely improvised, there's a looseness to the storytelling where the kids have a chance to interact and play real characters. It's not just the script, or lack of, that helps the story move quite easily with so little plot. It's Koreeda's direction that really drives the film into a lively narrative that gives the film a lot of movement. Its lack of plot might slow the film down but it doesn't as Koreeda keeps the camera moving for the young actors to move around while only having still shots for the more intimate, dramatic scenes. At the same time, the film showed the kids growing in the span of a year as it was shot chronologically for nearly a year to add a dramatic realism to the film.

While there's humor and drama mixed in throughout the film, its' Koreeda's direction which is obviously influenced by the French New Wave in its loose style and rich, striking compositions that gives the film a mesmerizing feel. Even as he edits the film himself with the use of smooth transitions, fade-outs, and jump-cuts to keep the film moving without slowing it down too much or making it too fast. The result is truly a heartwarming yet harrowing drama from Hirokazu Koreeda.

Cinematographer Yutaka Yamasaki creates beautiful images with his sheer, evocative camera work with the blue-greenish look of Tokyo in the nighttime with some excellent, nighttime interiors for the apartment scenes when there's light and even more darker, low-light shows for the interiors. The exterior daytime shots depending on the weather of the day from the grayish rainy day/winter scenes or the bright, colorful day time scenes. Yamasaki's work is truly exquisite in the film's loose, lively direction. Production designers Toshihiro Isomi and Keiko Mitsumatsu do excellent work with the film's art direction in the look of the apartment where it starts off clean to something that becomes dirty and grungy. The sound work of Yutaka Tsurumaki is well-done in capturing the atmosphere of Tokyo along with the sounds of video games played along with the shoes that Yuki wears.

The music by the guitar duo of Titi Matsumura and Gonzalez Mikami, known as Gontiti, is very plaintive and simplified to the film's lively, innocent tone of the film. Notably since it's just played with just acoustic guitars that proves to be memorable and exhilarating. In the soundtrack, a somber song by Takako Tate is brilliant that plays up to a sad moment in the film that proves to be mesmerizing in its emotions.

The casting by Yoshiko Arae is phenomenal with some memorable roles from Ryo Kase and pop vocalist Takako Tate as mini-market employees and Sei Hara as the mini-market manager. Other notable small roles as Keiko's ex-boyfriends are Yuichi Kimura as a cab driver and Kenichi Endo as a Pachinko Parlor employee along with Kazuyoshi Kushida as the landlord. In the role of Keiko, Japanese pop singer You is very good as the reckless, flaky mother of the children who likes to party more rather than take of her kids. Hanae Kan is great as Saki, the schoolgirl who befriends Akira and his siblings as she is willing to help him. Kan's subtle yet entrancing performance is mesmerizing in what is the film's best supporting role.

Momoko Shimizu is great as Yuki, the youngest daughter at five years old who exudes all of the innocence and free spirit that is played throughout the film while wearing some cute little noisy shoes to go along with it. Hiei Kimura is also great as Shigeru, the hyperactive, noisy kid who is just as lively and exuberant as any 7-year old kid can be. Ayu Kitaura is excellent as Kyoko, the 10-year old girl who is dealing with changes while missing her mother as she needed a strong, female adult presence. Finally, there's Yuya Yagira in a phenomenal performance as Akira, the 12-year old boy who has to be the adult of sorts for his older sibling. Yagira's observant, subtle, and entrancing performance is the heart of the film as he shows great conflict into a character that wants to be a kid but has to be an adult at the same time.

Dare mo shiranai is a mesmerizing, haunting, yet heartwarming film from Hirokazu Koreeda. Thanks in part to a great cast led by its young actors including Yuya Yagira. It's a film filled with lively moments through Koreeda's loose, free-wielding direction and moments that are filled with harsh realities. Yet, it's also accessible and heartwarming in its story of four children coming together to survive after their mother had abandoned them. It's not an easy film to watch but a film that can't be ignored as well as it's one of the most touching films of the decade. In the end, Dare mo shiranai is a harrowing yet touching film from Hirokazu Koreeda that truly shows the enduring spirit of children.

Hirokazu Koreeda Films: (Lessons from a Calf) - (However) - (August Without Him) - Maborosi - (This World) - (Without Memory) - (After Life) - (Distance) - (Hana) - Still Walking - (Air Doll) - (I Wish) - (Like Father, Like Son (2013 film)) - Our Little Sister - After the Storm - (The Third Murder) - (The Shoplifters)

© thevoid99 2011