From a certain aspect it is a fable about every coin has two sides or in other words nothing is fully black or white. The members of this family make dubious things in order to be able to eat, drink, wash themselves etc. or shortly to survive.
The perfect example which embodies this theory is the stoyline of Yuri. On the one hand, we can look at this like they kidnapped a child and later on taught her how to steal. On the other hand, they took a little girl in who was neglected by her parents. They looked after her, nurtured and cared for her and she became a member of this family who has nothing much but thenselves and they appreciate that little what they got. As Yuri was got back to her birth parents by the authorities she is treated like a pain in the ass by her mother. So, I ask the question: which family made her bad example exactly?
They give each other home, love and eventually an opportunity to the children to break out from that poor life situation.
This movie was truly devastating.
Hirokazu Koreeda is a master of cinema.
I'm still digesting this movie but I'm pretty sure it's one of the best of 2018. It is an absolute gem. A superb tale of love, kinship and what it means to be family. Morals are queried, and formalities are tested. Lily Franky, Sakura Andô and those 2 children are impeccable. The dialogue and characters are perfect.
Beautiful, beautiful cinema.
Spectacular movie. Highly recommended. Those who love Japan without being there should watch this movie and take a reality bath.
Typical Koreeda movie: capturing calm scenes in perfection, making the viewer feel like he is in the middle of the presented characters, having a kind of weird, sad & yet happy feeling at the same time.
Still, "Nobody Knows" is more memorable, was based on a true happening and had been released 14 years earlier.
Koreeda deserves any price, but more for his entire filmography. His works were always close to be considered as a masterpiece. Except "Nobody Knows", because it is one.
The kind of film that gets under your skin, permeates your soul, and then steals your heart. Highly recommended.
How to win the Palme d'Or at Cannes:
Shoplifters isn't a bad film. It has some interesting things to say about families and it says them extremely well. But when I think about about a film that embodies passion for filmmaking, Shoplifters, with its over-long second act, wouldn't be my first choice this year. (If you care, the correct answer amongst films in competition is either Dogman, Happy as Lazzaro or Leto, but I would've accepted Under the Silver Lake or Burning ;-) ).
Still, Shoplifters is a safe choice and is a harmless film for critics to rave over so run along then and play with your trophy, I have bigger films to see.
UPDATE: After receiving several death threats, I'm forced to re-evaluate my position... Honestly, upon reflection a day later, I've realised Shoplifters has affected me more favourably than I'd thought, so I'm increasing my rating to a 'like'. In retrospect, I probably went into the cinema with a chip on my shoulder, bullying the film into making me like it, and this is a film that doesn't deserved to be bullied.
Bittersweet. A beautiful exploration of family and poverty in 21st century Japan. Right from the start, the movie finds the exact right tone. It’s warm and sweet without ever becoming too sentimental, almost like a Ghibli film in live action. The cinematography is gorgeous and the acting feels so authentic and real (the younger cast included!). The writing specifically excels at investing you in these characters, while not forgetting to include some subtle complexity. The film opens with one of our protagonists shoplifting and kidnapping a child, and yet because the writing is so strong, you don’t think of him as this irredeemable asshole. As the film progresses, the film presents us with some dark emotional moments that are sure to leave an impression on your memory because you care so much about these people. It also plays with this idea of the chosen family vs the biological family, think The Rise of Skywalker if those final moments had any authentic weight. This is honestly pretty much perfect for what it’s trying to do, every choice I find to be incredibly tasteful. You could call it a perfect ‘tearjerker’, but since we tend to associate that term with cheap trash, I’m not going to. Just know that if you’re the sensitive type, this one’s really effective at tugging at your emotions.
9/10
The original title of the film is Manbiki kazoku.
The realness and the bond of family in a way are that truly amazing, I was moved by this movie and the trueness in life.
Ruminations on the essence of family with a scrappy group of bottom-feeders, discarded and neglected by society at large. Living well below the poverty line, stealing what they can't afford, their household exists on the outskirts of civilization; a phantom in more ways than one. The general population is perfectly happy to turn a blind eye upon the situation and this ragtag, close-knit little unit is content with the same arrangement, despite the guarded air of closeted secrets looming over the household.
It's the kind of film you know probably doesn't end well, so you just enjoy the good times while they last. The movie itself seems to feel the same way, lingering in those sweet moments of quiet memory and cozy togetherness for as long as it can, delaying the inevitable. Of course, eventually something has to give, and then it's a crushing landslide of sudden public interest and consequence, hitting all the harder for the delicate harmony that existed, so freely, prior to the vortex.
Heartfelt and thoughtful, with a stirring message and no true heroes or villains; just people, doing what they think is right, no matter how misguided that might seem from another angle.
The master of cute-kids-in-tragic-circumstances has done it again! Koreeda is a master of directing children and bringing out these amazing mature performances and Shoplifters is no different. This movie explores the concept of whether family is what you're born into or the people you choose. It's about two abandoned children who are raised by a less than exemplary family which teaches them to steal and deceive but dammit these people have so much love to give and they share what little they've got. It makes you wonder who's in the wrong here and whether we can even know for sure. Koreeda has an extensive filmography and yet I want more, I can only hope he continues making such wonderful movies and he deserves all the accolades.
This is very emotional. Everyone gives a great performance and the story is unexpectedly devastating. Still there is a lot of joy in this movie.
I really enjoyed this one. It was a touching tale of love and loss, an exploration into the value of family and the importance of chosen family. Its a journey through poverty and the lengths people will go to in order to survive, the innocence of childhood and the corruption that can arise from even the purest intentions. This, so far, is i think my favorite of all the movies I've watched this year. The relationships and bonds are so well written and well acted, every potential dynamic and pairing is explored. This truly feels like a family unit, with the children being the heart and soul of the film, but the adults all bringing something so crucial in each dynamic. A less heart filled film would've ended much sooner, it felt like such a treat to continue to see more of these characters even after they were caught, to see how that impacted them, to watch the little steps towards the children especially making their own way in life. Every second of this film is dripping with love. Its devastating and beautiful.
Very slow-paced slice of life drama that raises the question; what is true family? Is it blood or do we get to choose? It's also a hard look at poverty. The premise made me think of Tokyo Godfathers. I'd go as far as to say Shoplifters is one of the best takes on the family trope i've seen.
The biggest praise I can give it is the characters, so interesting, so attaching, so layered... I didn't want to leave them when the movie ended. There's a few emotional moments that hit hard and it has it's depressing moments but it's equally heart-warming and joyful; perfect tone. I was doubting it's direction at times in the second half but once i've finished the movie I can say it's mostly flawless. The acting was superb all around.
My only gripe is I wanted to spend more time with some of these characters, it's a little unsatisfying. They barely grazed the surface with Aki for example. Could have been a 3h movie and I wouldn't have minded.
An incredible film about the beauty of the bond between a family. This film is simultaneously heartbreaking and heart-warming.
I tend to dislike most films about poverty and inequality, but “Shoplifters” managed to be reasonably entertaining without overdoing in sentimentality. We are first introduced to the perfect dysfunctional family, but as the film goes on, we find out that the situation is way more complicated than we imagined. This is not Koreeda’s first film to question the value of blood ties in making a family, but this time he seems more neutral towards his characters. There are dozens of tender moments to point out the authenticity of their bonds, but at the same time, we are continuously made aware that we are still talking about dishonest, self-centered people. Maybe not as sober as Koreeda's previous films, but still more natural and believable than your average Japanese drama spoiled by melodramatic acting and stereotyped dialogues.
Excellent movie about a family that chose itself, comprised of scammers and thieves of all varieties. The movie asks if they are connected by crime or heart or secrets or money or sex and the answer is all of those and none of those. It asks if the familial bond is closer if its the family you choose, and the answer there is a resounding yes. It flips standard storytelling trajectory on its head as the first 90 minutes are basically this family's version of perfect as all their schemes go right. But when the son gets arrested, the dominoes fall quickly and the final thirty minutes are the family deciding if they are still family in spite of all the hard truths that come out about each other. A mood-perfect movie that won't be forgotten for a long time by anyone who sees it.
This film was regarded as one of the best films of 2018 and it did not disappoint. In many ways it reminded me of a more subtle version of a Woody Allen film in that it explored the question of morality from several different perspectives. I found the ending to be excellent in that it forced the characters to try to reconcile morality with the fragile relationships that they had maintained.
follow me at https://IHateBadMovies.com and facebook IHateBadMovies
What a great movie. If you want to spend two hours watching something interesting, fun and good, I totally recommend this. Thank me later.
Love and warmth under cover
Shout by FranBlockedParent2019-02-17T19:38:48Z— updated 2019-02-21T21:52:28Z
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This film is SO beautiful. Love pours from it and flows through it. It touches on so many important subjects and raises so many questions about what's morally right and wrong. The little kids, Shota and Yuri/Lin are the heart of this film, their mum Yoko is the soul, but every character earned such a special place in my heart, they were all written with so much care and attention and softness. I definitely need to rewatch again because it being spoken in a language I don't understand, even if with the aid of subtitles, there's a lot of meaning that gets lost and this film is particularly filled with it. The last two scenes will stay on my mind for days to come I'm sure of it, and that's when I know a movie should go straight to my favourites list.
9.7/10