Shoplifters

Twice in one week I’ve come to the end of a film and felt as though I were being abandoned in a quagmire of anxiety and hopelessness! The other was Dogtooth, and this one is Shoplifters (万引き家族), a Japanese drama written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, starring Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Kairi Jō, Miyu Sasaki, and Kirin Kiki.

Though not blood relatives, the characters (pictured) rely on shoplifting, pachinko, sex shows and small cons to cope with poverty, and on each other more than they themselves seem to realize, at least at first.

The story is beautiful, sad, well acted, and thought-provoking. It takes you steadily in one direction and then wrenches you back, leaving you wanting somehow to step into the frame and do whatever you can to somehow help these people.

Nominated for numerous awards, and employing techniques seen in other Japanese films such as Yasujiro Ozu’s pillow shots and direct-to-camera framing, it’s not just a must-see Japanese film, it’s a must-see film.