p-seed-889-188469 At the risk of stating the obvious this is a very "japanese" movie, and those who have seen a few will know what I mean. Another reviewer has, with some justification, decried the notion that because a movie is Japanese it seems to automatically attain some sort of semi-mythical status that the same movie made in (say) America would not. Certainly there is a genre of Japanese movies that fall into the "movies where nothing happen" category, and as with many forms of art, sometimes we mistake emptiness and simplicity with great meaning. Sometimes it's hard to tell where greatness actually exists and where we make it up for ourselves, although I suppose since the final result is the same it is a bit of a moot point.This movie borrows heavily from "Tokyo Story", another glacially paced movie of the inter-generational genre, but whereas the thrust of that movie was the younger generation's indifference and lack of time for the older generation this one is more about the simmering conflicts related to the death of a son, barely concealed resentments related to career choices, the failure to meet fatherly expectations, a mother's long held grudges, etc. As a family meets to commemorate the death of a son, we see a fine web of cracks start to radiate, all bubbling away nicely within the perfectly regimented framework of Japanese politeness and etiquette. The cracks are delicate but deep as the characters tip-toe around the many issues that interconnect 3 generations. Lurking below the surface of civility we see unpleasant aspects of most of the characters but in true Japanese style there are no raised voices, no shouting matches, no slammed doors, no accusations, no resolutions, no explosions, no car chases, no nudity, no violence - just swirling undercurrents. Some people will like this, others will not, and that is fine.I enjoyed this movie, but it was not a world shattering event. I thought some opportunities for development were missed and I was particularly annoyed when the movie did not finish immediately after the narration near the end. This could have been a totally killer statement, at last, a statement of truth and brutal cruelty to contrast cataclysmically with the hour of banal politeness and withholding of feelings that preceded it. This would have given the whole movie some meaning and bite, but no, they had to spoil it by reverting to the pretense of everyone playing happy families.In summary a good movie that those used to the "japanese" pace will enjoy, but probably not one that will change your life.

ivotkac Slowly evolving family drama with the plot built around the visit of adult son and daughter with their families on the anniversary of the death of the older son. It is the first movie from the director and writer Hirokazu Koreeda that I have seen and I felt immediately in love with his style of telling the story. Formally focusing on everyday activities during the visit - preparing the food, walking, taking the bath - "family truths" and biases of parents towards children and vice versa are revealed. Focusing on common activities the movie provides its apparent simplicity, but each time when the viewer starts to be almost bored by its naturalism, he is surprised by some revelation of family relationships. In these small details the family relationships are becoming complex like the life itself. For me, as a person with an European cultural background, it was also very interesting to see how this family story that includes problems between parents and children characteristic for every culture, looks in the context of Japanese Shintoist and Budhist traditions. That is what I expect from a good movie: to touch topics common for the all human race and to show it in the context of specific cultures.

sitenoise I liked Air Doll so much I decided to seek out more films made by its director Hirokazu Kore'eda. Imagine you have a new friend in life, someone you have a fondness and respect for, and they invite you along to meet the family of one of their best friends. You'll probably attend with an optimistic attitude, thinking the old adage "friends of yours are friends of mine." Such was my approach to seeing this film.There is a rich tradition of the family drama in Japanese cinema and this is a worthy addition to it. Still Walking observes and reveals the humor, history, and hidden emotions of an extended family over the course of twenty-four hours. A brother and sister, their spouses and children, attend a yearly gathering at the home of their parents to commemorate the death of their older brother, the pride of the parents, who died accidentally fifteen years ago while attempting to save a young boy, a stranger, from drowning.The film has a languid pace and a subtle sense of humor. There is a stereotypical grouchy and reserved father who has a stereotypically antagonistic relationship with his second son, a doting and good-humored mother, a loving and amiable sister. It seems like there may not be anything new here. There really isn't, and not much happens until another annual guest to the gathering shows up. He is the boy the older brother saved from drowning. He's an overweight, fidgety, perspiring loser. He is extremely uncomfortable and we can sense the parent's resentment that it was not him who died instead of their son.There was something about Air Doll that bothered me. There is a scene where the Air Doll meets, literally, her maker. The man basically essays to her on the meaning of the film: aren't human beings just empty vessels too, desiring and needing to be filled up? I've come to think that Kore'eda didn't trust his audience, or perhaps himself, enough to let the film speak for itself. He felt the need to explain it. There is a similar scene in Still Walking. After the ill-at-ease boy leaves the family's home the son observes to his mother that it seems almost cruel to invite him as he seems so uncomfortable, almost tortured by it. The mother acknowledges this and says "That's why we invite him." The scene should have cut right there but Kore'eda has the mother discourse on the necessity of this sadism.Even with that flaw, and the fact that Still Walking doesn't present an original scenario, I still loved it. I enjoyed meeting this family. Kore'eda and the cast bring a freshness to the family drama staple of Japanese cinema. The photography is beautiful, the direction is fluid and accomplished, the performances superb, and there is a surprisingly good amount of subtle humor throughout the film. Highly recommended to those who enjoy the slow-paced and thoughtful.

CountZero313 Koreeda's Aruite Mo Aruite Mo is a consideration of family that is part homage, part vivisection. The comparisons to Ozu that have been made are fitting, the film a return to the Golden Age of Japanese film-making when a distinctly Japanese setting was employed to convey universal themes. The domestic setting, limited time-frame, and even knee-high camera placement all deliberately connote Ozu, but not so much to bow before him, as to re-invent him, to update or even evolve the form. Koreeda seems to have set out less to pay his respects to Ozu, as to surpass him.Ryota brings his new wife and stepson home to to meet his family on the anniversary of his older brother Junpei's passing. The cycle of pettiness, accusation, pouting and recrimination soon kicks in, familiar theatre of family that will have people recalling Thanksgiving get-togethers, Hogmanany parties, Christmas fall-outs... The joy is in the details of Koreeda's observations, and the forceful animation of them by the cast. From the opening conversation between mother and daughter, playful banter on lessons never learned, wisdom refused, the tone of interdependence with tense undercurrents is set.YOU as Chinami is more straightforward than her mis-maternal role in Nobody Knows, angling to move in with her parents by talking to her mother as a type, rather than as a person. Kirin Kiki is best known these days here in Japan for her comic outing in the Fuji film commercials. She excels there and here, sweet and doddering at one point, and yet scary, almost vicious at others, as when she reveals the depth of her loathing for Yoshio, the boy-now-man whom her son Junpei died saving from drowning. Her cool gaze upon her grandchildren is evidence of Koreeda's consummate ease in avoiding sentimentality. Hiroshi Abe holds up his end more than competently as the brooding Ryota. Recently 're-structured', he finds his conflicting roles as failed breadwinner, failed heir, struggling stepfather and less-favoured son all brought to salience in this one event. He is too proud to admit his jobless status, but not man enough to help his wife carry the bags. He reacts just as his father reacts to the shock of retirement, or his mother reacts to facing life's disappointments - by lashing out. He is a grown man in gaudy cheap pajamas bought by his mum. He competes with not one ghost, but two - his brother, and his wife's first husband. Who can shine in comparison with martyrs?Families can be joyous and awful, and Koreeda captures that to a tee. The film seems to go on a beat too long, past a line on the bus that seems the natural ending, but then the final narration (reminiscent of Twilight Samurai) and graveside scene pull it all together poignantly. Granddad thinks they will be back at New Year - they won't. Chinami thinks her mother wants them to move in - she doesn't. Yoshio thinks he is welcome every year - he isn't. Families are destined to misunderstand each other. And yet the honouring of Junpei, the father cracking water-melons with his children, Granddad reaching out to his step-grandson - the succour of family is also portrayed here.No one does bitter-sweet and elegiac quite like Koreeda, and in Aruite Mo Aruite Mo he achieves the quintessential mix that he was arguably striving for in After Life and Maboroshi. This is a film both comforting and challenging, that may just turn out to be Koreeda's masterpiece.