Still Walking (2008)

Still Walking (2008)

Another tremendous family drama from the immaculate filmography of Hirokazu Koreeda

The Very Best

9.0

Movie

Japan
Japanese
Drama, Family
2008
HIROKAZU KORE-EDA, HIROKAZU KOREEDA
Haruko Kato, Hiroshi Abe, Hotaru Nomoto
114 min

What it's about

Twelve years after their beloved eldest son, Junpei, drowned while saving a stranger's life, Kyohei and Toshiko welcome their surviving children home for a family reunion. Younger son Ryota still feels that his parents resent that he isn't the one who died; his new wife, Yukari, is awkwardly meeting the rest of the family for the first time. Daughter Chinami strains to fill the uncomfortable pauses with forced cheer.

The take

Koreeda is a master of the tender gaze. He deals so softly, elegantly, and emphatically with the characters in his films, it will make you feel like you're watching life itself in all its complex, emotional splendor. Maybe this is particularly true for this movie because it has been inspired by Koreeda's memories of his own childhood and the passing of his mother. Still Walking is a quietly toned movie spanning a period of 24 hours in the life of the Yokoyama family, as they gather to commemorate the passing of their eldest son. At the center of the story is the father, an emotionally distant man who commands respect both from his family and community. Opposite from him sits the other son, the black sheep, who seeks his father's validation. Directed, written, and edited by Koreeda, this dynamic is one of many in this slice-of-life movie about how families deal with loss. And, however distant the culture or setting in Japan may seem to the outsider, you're bound to recognize either yourself or your family among the tender scenes of this masterful drama.

Comments

The is another of those movies where nothing actually happens in terms of plot. But whats comes out the best is the emotion and performances that comes out of the characters. It is a story about a family and smallissues of any other family. Must watch for drama lovers especially Japnese dramas.

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