Our Little Sister

Our Little Sister
(2015 Winner of Japanese Academy Awards Best Picture)
126min.


A continued look at both Kore-eda's films and others honored by Best Picture wins in Japan.


Here is quiet story.

Here is a slow story.

Here is a beautiful story.

We begin with three sisters living together in an old Japanese house in an old Japanese town. Add one more sister, who comes to live with them after their shared father dies and she has no one left, she comes to the old house too.

The rest of the story centers around various small happenings around the family. It touches on love, on work, and on the three sisters getting along together.

I really loved this film. I tried to figure out why, as there really isn't so much here at first glance.

First of all, the four leads are tremendous. It's easy to believe that they are a family and a realistic one at that.

But, there's something more... and then it came to me.

Kore-eda has refused to torture us with some awful stereotypical climax that such a family drama demands. The mother-figure needs to yell at the younger sister, and then the younger sister needs to scream that no-one understands her and run away and then they all need to chase after her and catch her and... and... and...

But that never comes here.

There are touching points that will make you want to cry.

There are meaningful times when the sisters don't, and then do understand each other.

And there is a feeling, and one that comes up often in Kore-eda films, that we see a family that we wish we could join. It's not perfect, I mean this one doesn't even have parents, but damn it if we didn't wish we could be there too, in that old house, in that old town.

Very highly recommended