Our Little Sister (2015)
(Umimachi Diary)
Country: JAP
Technical: col 127m
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose
Synopsis:
Three sisters of a thrice-married father, living in their grandmother's house, attend his funeral and become enchanted by their half-sister of the second marriage. They invite her to come and live with them, and there begins a process of nurture and healing, as old wounds resurface and new losses are endured.
Review:
Like a live-action version of one of those Studio Ghiblli films, such as When Marnie Was There, Koreeda's film treats us to human portrayals replete with their own fears and hangups, but also with a reassuring warmth and a respect for nature. There is food imagery everywhere in the film, from tempura fried mackerel to plum wine, noodles to whitebait, and that is entirely fitting for a story of love and belonging. To begin with, the sisters are so caught up in their own relationships, past and present, that they do not consider how Suzu might feel as the product of an adulterous union. And the cafe owner who develops cancer just in time to benefit from the elder sister's ministrations, which are not shown to us, is another beautiful touch to a film that reassures us that there is goodness and humanity in the world, and that our mistakes can be forgiven and repaired by the next generation.
(Umimachi Diary)
Country: JAP
Technical: col 127m
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose
Synopsis:
Three sisters of a thrice-married father, living in their grandmother's house, attend his funeral and become enchanted by their half-sister of the second marriage. They invite her to come and live with them, and there begins a process of nurture and healing, as old wounds resurface and new losses are endured.
Review:
Like a live-action version of one of those Studio Ghiblli films, such as When Marnie Was There, Koreeda's film treats us to human portrayals replete with their own fears and hangups, but also with a reassuring warmth and a respect for nature. There is food imagery everywhere in the film, from tempura fried mackerel to plum wine, noodles to whitebait, and that is entirely fitting for a story of love and belonging. To begin with, the sisters are so caught up in their own relationships, past and present, that they do not consider how Suzu might feel as the product of an adulterous union. And the cafe owner who develops cancer just in time to benefit from the elder sister's ministrations, which are not shown to us, is another beautiful touch to a film that reassures us that there is goodness and humanity in the world, and that our mistakes can be forgiven and repaired by the next generation.
(Umimachi Diary)
Country: JAP
Technical: col 127m
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, Suzu Hirose
Synopsis:
Three sisters of a thrice-married father, living in their grandmother's house, attend his funeral and become enchanted by their half-sister of the second marriage. They invite her to come and live with them, and there begins a process of nurture and healing, as old wounds resurface and new losses are endured.
Review:
Like a live-action version of one of those Studio Ghiblli films, such as When Marnie Was There, Koreeda's film treats us to human portrayals replete with their own fears and hangups, but also with a reassuring warmth and a respect for nature. There is food imagery everywhere in the film, from tempura fried mackerel to plum wine, noodles to whitebait, and that is entirely fitting for a story of love and belonging. To begin with, the sisters are so caught up in their own relationships, past and present, that they do not consider how Suzu might feel as the product of an adulterous union. And the cafe owner who develops cancer just in time to benefit from the elder sister's ministrations, which are not shown to us, is another beautiful touch to a film that reassures us that there is goodness and humanity in the world, and that our mistakes can be forgiven and repaired by the next generation.