Manbiki kazoku [Shoplifters] (2018)

(Netflix Streaming, December 2019) At a time when big-budget American cinema is often reduced to formula-scripted blockbuster entertainment, it can be interesting to go see that the medium can do in other countries. Shoplifters is almost defiantly unusual in how it approaches its own characters and story—featuring a reconstituted family of grifters and low-level thieves struggling to make a living in low-class conditions. It’s quirky, unusual in how it advances its story and oddly sympathetic at times. There are a few big secrets lurking behind the façade of the characters as presented in the first few minutes, but the core sentiment of the film remains—a family by choice, loving and united even if not exactly a model for anyone else. The ending, alas, gets worse and worse for everyone—this isn’t meant to be a heartwarming film. Writer-director Hirokazu Koreeda has his own outlook on life and the result is a humanistic vision of being poor in money, yet being rich in relationships. It’s almost as good as a novel, and presented in an understated way that leaves us to make conclusions. I particularly liked the unglamorous performances from Lily Franky and Sakura Ando as the leaders of the family. While Shoplifters does feel a bit too long, there are a few engaging subplots going on with the ensemble cast. The film earned a lot of western attention when it made the Academy Awards shortlist in early 2019, and we can see why.