Shoplifters (2018)
Stealing our hearts in the process.
Presentation:
Although not nearly as masterful, Hirokazu Koreeda gives us the Japanese version of Parasite with a quasi-heartwarming and more grounded tone. The melodrama is more grounded, which almost creates a coming of age atmosphere similar to his other films like Monster. The presentation focuses on story with naturalistic presentation shot mostly on celluloid film. The performances especially from the child actors are stronger though still not ground breaking, but do move you by how innocent and cute they are. Itโs very easy to get invested in this dysfunctional family despite their moral flaws.
Conclusion:
Whatโs great about most Japanese films is they utilize moral ambiguity in a thought provoking way and never didactically like modern Hollywood. Koreeda never shoves any ideologies down our throats, whether kidnapping and petty theft are lesser crimes than child abuse, but rather presents them truthfully and unbiasedly for us to decide. Itโs also a more interesting take on poor peopleโs perspective that forces you to think about right and wrong. The characters are deep and well motivated, endearing and abhorrent at times making you root both for and against them. You could believe this was a real family and they possibly might even justify some of their heinous actions in the public perception. With Japan being one of the most polite countries with rare theft, this film offers a fresh perspective that doesnโt challenge the status quo, but challenges our hearts instead. The line between surviving, living and predation havenโt been this blurry in a while.
Recommendations
The cyberpunk anime that started it all.