Shoplifters (2018)

I went to watch this movie with high expectations as it is the Palme d'Or winner at Cannes and I wasn't disappointed, but I definitely expected something more.
The important think to know is that this is not a movie for everyone. It is slow paced, especially in the first half and I would definitely call the film raw. For me what Koreeda wanted to achieve was to tackle very important social issues, that foreigners and especially Japanese tend to hide in a corner knowing that they exist and at the same time smiling like nothing is wrong.
The acting was fantastic and if someone forced me to see the movie without knowing anything about it, I would probably say that it was a Koreeda film, not his best -from the ones I have watched- but certainly a good one.

This kind of movies are so realistic and at the same time unbelievable. Knowing that this kind of things are an issue not only in Japan, but I would dare say everywhere is heart-wrenching.

All in all this is not a movie someone should watch to just pass their time. The film needs your attention and your understanding.

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Will ‘ Shoplifters’ Steal Your Heart?

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s films have long been held as masterful arts of work in themselves; profound, complex and subtly crafted-something that ‘ Shoplifters’ presented beautifully throughout its storyline.

Lily Franky takes on the role of Osamu; the head of the band-wagon group of rouges seemingly appear as a middle-aged husband alongside his middle-aged wife Shibata Nobuyu ( Ando Sakura), their two children teenager Shibata Aki ( Matsuoka Mayu) and their young son Shibata Shiota ( Jyutu Kairi) and granny Shibata Hatsue ( Kiki Kirin). However the house is filled with untold truths and secrets; Osamu gaining most of his profit from shoplifting by enlisting the help of Shiota, Nobuyu stealing things from clothes’ pockets during her laundry job, Aki being part of a peep show in order to make ends meet and Hatsue’s seperate past life and gambling addiction at the local pachinko machines in secret. Yet the family find themselves ineffably stuck in a rut when they come across Juri ( Sasaki Miyu); an abandoned and abused little girl who is quick to warm their hearts but with undeniable consequences towards their future.

The casting choices of the move were undeniably brilliant with each actor feeling masterfully placed like pieces on a chessboard by Kore-eda. Yet admittedly one of the most dynamic of the movie came through Kiki Kirin’s role as Shibata Hatsue; sadly her last role before her passing shortly afterwards.

It should come as no surprise rust Kore-da’s unlikely Palmes D’Or winner offered viewers a sociopolitical depiction upon the deep-rooted trauma of a family united under one roof, alongside the fear of poverty. The narrative of the film took no wasted-time with subtly painting the dysfunctions of modern Japanese society and hypocrisies as well as the audacious details of characters and how they’d e linked together.

Yet against the beauty of the film’s narrative there was an admitted flaw with ‘ Shoplifters’ and that came through the initial problem of pacing. The film is admittedly slow-burn and whilst necessary for building up the storyline as well as delivering its twist-ending, lacked a greater sense of momentum towards the plot and attention of viewers.

Nevertheless Ryûto Kondô’s cinematography highlights a stark depiction of more grounded issues of the film such as child abduction, abuse and abandonment against the surrealist fantasy -world of Kore-eda’s microcosm of a seemingly mysterious family. The OST is admittedly less memorable than other parts of the film but Kore-eda’s placed emphasis on visual aesthetics other auditory became evident in the final act of the film beautifully encased in snow; a final flurried blur between the fairytale and childlike world of the family’s insular bubble and the cold and harsh reality of the events that are unfolding also.

Kore-eda’s ‘ Shoplifters’ is undeniably a heartwarming, bittersweet and audacious film about family. The subtle narrative and character-build was masterfully depicted alongside the strong performances by the cast. Admittedly whilst the film could sometimes hit a rut with pacing, the movie’s themes and finale offered viewers with a deeply thoughtful and contemplative film.

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The story of shoplifters is a simple, yet complicated one. The family, even though they shoplift, obviously breaking the law by doing so, they maybe have found the secret in what makes a family. One of the key factors of this movie were the performances. Even the kids were really good, though some characters were explored in depth as others. The plot, moreover, although it started slowly, it presented the family nicely and it solved all the mysteries in the ending, so it wasn't left open, although the last scene did raise some questions. Overall, although the pacing was slow, it was a nice movie with a heavy social criticism.

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In a culture where blood ties are very important, It's really touching how a genuine happiness and real family was created as a fake family. It's sad how the society defines who we call our family are. For some people, family isn't always the one you're born into. For some people, it's just as simple as sharing experiences with, accepting them as they are, and people that want them in their lives. The message of the film is just beautiful.

I watched this film as it was recommended given the similarities with Parasite. But it was different. It didn't have the thrilling and surprising impact that Parasite had. If you were looking for that, you won't find it here. In fact, the story was slow-paced, but It got me immersed in it. Both films have the right emotions that will give you a reality check. A film that not everyone will like, but definitely a great film with depth!

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From the first frame I was sucked in and couldn't get up till I finished watching. The cinematography is excellent and every scene invokes a distinct, raw feeling inside you as you get deeper into the rabbit hole of poverty and start rooting for this odd family - your first mistake because that's what will break your heart. I know a lot of people compare this with Parasite and sure while the whole poor and strange family unit is there but Parasite is very absurdist and bleak through and through while for the most part Shoplifters is genuinely upbeat providing you with a false sense of security until the rug gets pulled out from under your feet. Because you keep learning more about the characters right down to the last frame. So the sadness you feel in Parasite is also of an existential depressing nature where in Shoplifters its the sadness of loss and grief that feels personal.

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Japan as the country you never know.

A lot of people say that if you don’t know Hirokazu Koreeda, it’s a pity for yourself. And apparently, it’s indeed a fact. It’s quite embarrassing when I was new to Koreeda in “Shoplifters”. It won Palme d’Or in Cannes Film Festival, 2018. Koreeda became the first Japanese director to win the award in the decade since Shohei Imamura’s “The Eel” in 1997. This movie is about the ironic and gloomy side of Japanese society. When you know Japan about its cultures, you know you feel guilty when you watch this film. Honestly, when watching this film, I remember the days of my stupidity when my first day in college. I acted like a Japanese, spoke in Japanese, and really “liked” anime.

After watching this film, for some reason, I became a bad guy in this situation and I can’t regret it. I can’t regret it for two reasons. Firstly, it’s because of the past and I don’t want to remember it. Secondly, I’m the same person in the present and the past. “Shoplifters” is about one poor Japanese family making a living. Focusing on isolated people and trying to patch up each other’s flaws in a bond called “family”. They believe the drive to survive together would create a good neighboorhood. However, when they are far from the norms of society, they act unreasonably.

Koreeda loves to explore a complexity about a family from a different perspective. The movie is gloomy, ironic, and quite depressing about the bitterness of life. He likes to explore gray color, not just black and white. The theme of the movie discusses the meaning of a family. Just like one of the characters in this film when she talks about irony yet true about family. She said that a family isn’t about blood relations. It’s not about how the kid was born from the mother’s womb. And when she spits the word, I’m just speechless; either impressed with the sentence or feeling sorry to her.

Koreeda also loves a slice of life wherein each of his films, a touch exists compared to films in general. The plot in this movie, gradually, reveals how each character has certain reasons. Just like the opening sequence of the movie. A boy and a father entered a supermarket but spoke through hand gestures. We don’t know who they are but it’s interesting because we know this will continue over and over again. We will see how they both do the same thing. However, it’s not just about the boy and the father. It’s about these characters struggling to fill each other and connect why they do all this in the first place.

Morally speaking, all the characters in this film are very doubtful. But, we understand why they do it and prefer to take the consequences first. We know why a young girl earns a living in a sex club. We know why the father prefers shoplifting rather than making a living normally. The whole situation the characters choose to create themselves. Finally, you know there are no black and white in this film. It’s smooth, simple, natural, depressing, and beautiful at the same time.

Every actor in this movie is amazing especially when they are not over-the-top different from drama films in general. Their performance is so natural and very emotionally strong but raw. They aren’t too sentimental or tragic. They just act like normal people and go through many moments from bitter, sweet, to sad. There is a joy on the way to the beach to a pressure between one character. However, character development is very, very small to notice thanks to the script. The movie is just mindblowing to say at least, an exaggerate word to use. The relationship between characters, the black satire humor, and the moral message is more than about family and togetherness. Back to the first main question, what is a family?

“Shoplifters” is a complicated yet melancholic movie, gloomy, but important in providing a perspective about the theme. It’s about a contemplative about choosing a family. This movie explores the big questions about life and society. It’s about modern Japanese society but also not about Japan itself. It’s about everybody, every one of you who watches this movie. Koreeda cares about people, cares about his country, and everything. This movie has a pessimistic view as if to tell that this is just impossible.

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Shoplifters, presenting an almost trite observation about the need for human connection in an unfeeling world, then following it up with a stinging insight of how even those who feel that need the strongest have been conditioned to think of themselves first.

The film implies that the characters wouldn't have to break the law if life under late capitalism were more equitable, and Koreeda's reminders of everyday inequity throw the family's kindness and painful into sharp relief. Filled with misguided good intentions, unexpected warmth and some nifty thievery moves,
“Shoplifters” is above all a movie about family — the aching, heartwarming, unexpected, natural need for one and the parameters of the term.

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Shoplifters reminds me why I enjoy watching stories translated into film. So what's this film about...well nothing out of the ordinary, some may say, but I actually want to rectify this. Shoplifters is simple yet complicated, linear but underneath rocky and last but not least maybe the rawest piece of cinema I have ever watched until now.

Firstly I would like to applaud the effort that was put into the "home space" where the majority of the action takes place. The poverty in which these characters live in clearly showed but at the same time it doesn't lack the warmth feeling you associate with a home - and I think that's what this movie is about. You could say that the atmosphere is general could be described as bleak and grey but pay attention that it never gets "black". I think this happens thanks to the amazingly crafted characters and also because Koreeda payed a great deal of attention (in my humble opinion) to not overly dramatize the story for the sake of it - and it could have been really easy to do so. The "light that lightens the grey" would stand in the little endearing moments that are presented to us through the bond that the characters share: a happy trip to the beach, an out of the blue lovemaking scene with the rain as a background sound, grandma applying ointment on bruises and noticing small changes that no one else paid attention too. Those little moments make you not only understand this "untypical" family but actually feel and root for them.

As Nobuyo (Ando Sakura) said "Does giving birth to a child make one a mother?" so I started asking myself how can things that are considered right and just in "normal situations" become truly unfair and brutal in other cases (like giving back a child to her birth family that abused her, just 'cause they have blood ties).

All in all, there are no heroes or villains in here. Nor there are direct or detailed explanations on how these characters came to meet or what there past is - and that's ok, because day to day people don't go and talk about their past and experiences left and right (another proof of the rawness of this film).

I truly recommend watching this movie. It isn't overrated nor boring and it does what every good movie does in my books, makes you ask some question to your own person.

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Actors with great chemistry does wonders

I will say this movie is not for everyone. I was lucky to grow up very diverse with many different genres of movies. Watching a story of a "family" going thru struggle is not my go to; however, the director masterfully tows the line between what could be boring and what is engaging story telling without explosions, guns, and high budget special effects. The plot is of a low income 'family" who all have somewhat of an honest living, yet it's not enough to support one another and thus break moral values to simply survive. The addition of a new family member will inadvertently cause a chain of events where everyone will have to reelevate the relationship with one another.

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