Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's memorable family-friendly film focuses on a pair of brothers who want to be reunited following their parents' divorce. Twelve-year-old Koichi (Koki Maeda) lives with his mother and grandparents in southern Japan, while younger brother Ryunosuke (Koki's real-life brother, Ohshirô Maeda) stays with their father in the north. Koichi embraces an old superstition about wishes coming true if the wish is made at a spot where two trains pass each other; fortunately, new bullet trains are traveling at extraordinary speeds between the towns where Koichi and Ryunosuke live. Ryunosuke, although younger than Koichi, is the more practical of the pair, ultimately sneaking away to visit his older brother. The lives of the separated brothers are presented with wry humor—a large and loving family surrounds Koichi, while his brother enjoys a seemingly independent existence thanks to a less-than-reliable father. While the concept might sound a bit precious, I Wish is actually a wise film about perceptions, reality, and family relations. Recommended. (P. Hall)
I Wish
Magnolia, 128 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, PG, DVD: $26.98, Nov. 6 Volume 28, Issue 1
I Wish
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