REEL JAPAN

Score: 9/10

Proving a film can be a slice of life and a walk on the wild side, SHOPLIFTERS portrays one family surviving poverty in Tokyo by any means necessary. The manner in which their family has been stitched together through a series of dubious events and connections is key to the story. Those viewers who grew up on Charles Dickens novels and adaptations will recognize that moments of genuine joy and compassion exist within the criminal class. SHOPLIFTERS is principally concerned with family and how to define it. In a Dickensian manner, it provokes the question: could children be better off being raised by a gang of thieves than left to the alternatives? Where SHOPLIFTERS diverges from Victorian fiction is sex. Sex, fertility, reproduction, regeneration, appear as compelling themes. The film centers around Osamu and Nobuyo, a couple played by the amazing Lily Frankie and Ando Sakura. They struggle with an understanding of their own worth. They have a lot to give as parents but they also lack the wisdom and skills to turn their own lives around. Therein lies the trap. Since Nobuyo has struggled with her own fertility, her motivations in surrounding herself with a pseudo family are questioned. The film also questions how genuine the love between Nobuyo and Osamu remains. As the story progresses, we discover more about their troubling past and we find that they are never closer than on the eve of disaster.

Written and directed by Koreeda Hirokazu, SHOPLIFTERS boasts a remarkable cast. Many of the usual Koreeda suspects appear, such as Kiki Kirin (AFTER THE STORM, CHRONICLE OF MY MOTHER) as the grandmother and the remarkable Kairi Jo (ASURA, THE PROMISED NEVERLAND) as Shota, a young boy learning the tricks of the shoplifting trade. Ikamatsu Sosuke (AFTER THE STORM, MOZU) makes an appearance in a subplot involving Osamu’s stepsister Aki (Matsuoka Mayu), who is struggling to form authentic connections with men. SHOPLIFTERS won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and Best Film at the Mainichi Awards. Its unflinching focus on the seedy side of modern society puts it in the top tier of Koreeda’s works.

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