Like Father, Like Son

While more than a few films have drawn on the motif of babies switched at birth, rarely has this plot device been handled with more sincerity and honesty than in this Japanese import from filmmaker Kore-eda Hirokazu, which won the 2013 Jury Prize at Cannes. Socially prominent architect Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) and his wife Midori (Machiko Ono) discover that the hospital where Midori gave birth accidentally switched their baby with another—news that arrives six years after the fact. A funky working class couple who run a small appliance store raised Ryota and Midori's biological son, while the latter's Keita (Keita Ninomiya) is actually the child of the other couple. The two families, who share almost nothing in common on any social or economic level, begin to arrange meetings and they experiment with a plan to exchange boys for a series of weekend visits. Ryota and Midori are surprised at how easily Keita adapts with the other family, but Midori's devotion to Keita only intensifies, while Ryota openly questions the traditional Japanese importance of maintaining an unbroken bloodline. A deeply satisfying film that raises interesting questions, this is highly recommended. (P. Hall)