Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's Still Walking is set on the 15th anniversary of the death of the eldest son of retired doctor Kyohei and his wife Toshiko (Yoshio Harada and Kirin Kiki), who insist on continuing a ritual that has all but deified the lost boy, creating an impossible ideal that Kyohei uses to measure his second son Ryota (Hiroshi Abe), who has “rebelled” by becoming an art restorer. As the story unfolds over the annual reunion weekend, Ryota arrives with his wife and stepson, along with his sister Chinami (played by one-named actress, You), who brings her husband and two children. The grievances and grudges pick right back up—preserved in amber by parents still mourning the future that died with their firstborn—while the siblings endure the slights like a necessary negotiation. Kore-eda is marvelous at capturing little moments (such as the discomfort around the table at mealtime) in this superb study of the delicate balance between expectations and acceptance and the complicated evolution of families over time. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)
Still Walking
Criterion, 114 min., in Japanese w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $29.98, Blu-ray: $39.95 Volume 26, Issue 3
Still Walking
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