Reviewed by Doug Cooper
Stars Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, You, Kazuya Takahashi, Shohei Tanaka, Kirin Kiki, Yoshio Harada, Hotaru Nomoto, Ryoga Hayashi, Haruko Kato, Hotaru Nomoto, Susumu Terajima
Written by Hirokazu Koreeda
Certification UK U
Runtime 114 minutes
Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda
A low key Japanese drama that's never compelling but nevertheless offers minor rewards if one is patient. It takes place over one day and details a family gathering. The aged parents are still mourning the death of their eldest son in a drowning accident from 15 years before. Their younger son visits them with his wife and step son and their daughter is there with her husband and children too. They all sit down for a meal discussing their lives and what they're up to.
There's tension in the air, though. The elderly patriarch is uncommunicative and grumpy, not feeling his younger children are equal to his deceased first-born. A particularly awkward moment occurs when the young man whose life was saved by the dead son sits down and eats with them. He is obviously uncomfortable and one feels sorry for him. The mother has an effective scene where she expresses her feeling about having the man there. It's believable and touching.
That can be said for much of the movie too. There's not one false note. The performers are nuanced and subtle, the family dynamics convincingly rendered. But is it interesting? Not particularly.
There's a lot of hot air here in which nothing of note registers. Only intermittently does it hold one's attention. But plaudits must go to those involved however for conjuring such a natural feel. It's a slow-paced effort that draws you in mildly but skillfully. Tepid but ultimately persuasive. And the food looks absolutely delicious.