Shoplifters is not like any other film. It is heartbreaking, raw and thought provoking. I have to admit that the film left me speechless. It had the most extraordinary ending that will leave you with such emotions you have never felt before.
Hirokazu Kore-eda, one of Japan’s premier directors, showed us an intimate film that revolved around family trauma and poverty. Kore-eda also showed us a portrait of an aging and lonely Japan. The film is set in Tokyo and the characters were part of different generations. The family, though not blood related, lived in a bungalow owned grandmother Hatsue (who receives a small pension!!) surrounded with high-rise buildings that make Tokyo. The director envisioned the film as he wanted to portray a family tied with crimes. The Shibata family often shoplifted just to make ends meet as they were employed in low paying jobs in the Metro. But despite all the crimes they have committed, a sense of generosity is still evident in the family. They have done unacceptable things out of love but they still have to pay the price of everything as they disobeyed societal rules. The director wanted to portray something real and not made of pure fantasy where rules are supposed to be broken and ignored.
Shoplifters is an amazing and heartbreaking film that deals with the reality. It is raw and astonishing and there are no easy answers to all the questions raised in the film. It won awards and received recognition in Asia and even outside of it.
In many ways, the film haunted me. One hard fact from the film is that sometimes it is better to choose your own family. They breathtakingly displayed realism in a film and I am in complete awe. The film evoked a lot of emotions AND DOES IT SO WELL (I MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE CRIED HAHHA DEPENDS WHO’S ASKING). Not many films can melt and break my heart at the same time but Shoplifters definitely is an exception. But I think I still need a lot of time to recover from the heartbreak the film caused me before I watch it again. To this day I still feel a lot of emotions and I still can’t handle them very well.
I hope this film goes to wider audience because it is a masterpiece and people should see it. It deals with real human connections and I think that what makes it raw and beautiful. I also have to admit that the film started slow, but you just have to have patience for what’s coming!!! Also!! People should be open of how different cultures are.
If you’re reading this, I beg you…. please recommend this film to everyone you know. Make them feel the pain we felt (haha jk).
˙˚ʚ(´◡`)ɞ˚˙ Myka ˙˚ʚ(´◡`)ɞ˚˙
collision of ideas 