Hirokazu Koreeda has once again masterfully constructed another family drama but this time, centered around two brothers who are separated by their parents disintegrating marriage in I Wish. The film is about the powerful notion of family unity as well as the inevitable deterioration and the painful yet calming freedom that comes from it. The original title is Kiseki ("Miracle") and it is a miracle the two brothers, Koichi and Ryu, played by real-life brothers Koki and Ohshiro Maeda wishes for in order to reunite their family. The parents part ways leaving the mom, Nozomi (Nene Ohtsuka) to return to living with her parents with Koichi in her hometown of Kagoshima in which an silent volcano is at the possible cusps of eruption. Meanwhile the father, Kenji stays in Osaka with Ryu to pursue his laid-lack lifestyle of trying to maintain day jobs while attempting to be a guitarist in a band. 

Read the rest at JapanCinema.net!

Read more »

READ MORE

I'm just going to say it, I am not well-versed in Japanese cinema at all. So, it is a sad statement to confess that before this year, I had no idea who Hirokazu Koreeda was. But that's all about to change because starting now, I am going on a strict diet of Koreeda films. Like Father, Like Son is a familial drama which won the Jury Prize at Cannes this year and is being remade by Steven Spielberg (dammit!). The film is about a family who is told that their son is not actually their son and that the hospital gave them the wrong child (worst nightmare!). 

I'm not going to lie, with the intensely emotionally complex story and swaying music in the trailer, I almost burst into tears (what's new). I'll be sure to not wear any make-up while watching this film because surely, there's going to be some waterworks. This trailer is a UK trailer of the film and will hit UK theaters on October 18. As for the US, the film will be released early next year in January! I can't wait!

Read more »

READ MORE