This drama about a Japanese gang of misfits is undoubtedly a masterpiece that takes you on a crazy ride of mixed emotions.
What Hirokazu Kore-eda has created here is a wonderfully unique film, I cannot recall viewing anything that is similar in its narrative, coupled with the warm feeling it gives you whilst being completely submerged in the intricate lives of this quirky little family. In recent years there has been an influx of Japanese family dramas and Kore-eda has emerged as the master of this genre. His previous works include 2013’s Like Father, Like Son, and my previous favourite the 2016 film After the Storm, a film I wasn’t sure could be bettered and yet Shoplifters has achieved this and more. The Palme d’Or winner offers a chance to see how the human being makes their way in a world where they were dealt a poor hand from the start, a multitude of illuminating characters that takes you to the top and crashes you straight back down again.
Shoplifters is a deeply humanistic film, covering themes of poverty, family trauma and how affection for one another leads to people looking out for their family in a world where it can be overwhelming to try and make ends meet. Kore-eda has covered similar themes before but it is in Shoplifters where it is represented with such disorder that the once strong bond between them shatters and introduces their hidden little world to a grander more cynical one. A devastatingly dysfunctional story, loosely based on true events, it shows Japan as a broken society littered with unemployment and broken families, a story that would be the perfect narrative for a Ken Loach film as he interprets the North of England.
Osamu is the father of the family, played by Lily Frankly (of Like Father, Like Son fame). He appears as the head of this unlikely band of misfits, he is sneaky and seems slightly simple minded. He makes his living from stealing items from stores and selling them for profit, using his part time labourer job on a construction site as a means of extra income. He lives in a small shack like apartment with his wife, Noboyu (Sakura Ando) who works in a hotel laundry room, also stealing things she finds in the pockets of clothes that have been left in her care. They are joined by Shota (Kairi Jyo), a boy who was found by the odd couple and raised like a son in their eyes. There is also Aki (Mayu Matsuoka) the younger woman of the group who aids to the financial situation by working in a soft porn peep shows locally, is she the daughter of Noboyu or her sister, or another nomadic wanderer? The matriarch of the family is Grandma who is played excellently by Kirin Kiki who offers a calming presence to the hectic household, herself benefitting from having such illustrious company and using her own pension to aid the situation as much as she can. This was Kirin Kiki’s last film as she died a few months after the film was released and it is fitting that it was such a memorable last hurrah.
The plan of action is to live together in this small apartment as a means of tax evasion and cheap living expenses, stealing whatever they can as a sure way of saving money and getting back at the system for forcing their hand. However, it is this thieving that escalates out of hand and leads to their inevitable downfall and the rumbling of this master plan.
On their way back from a day of stealing, Osamu and Shota happen across a little girl that has been left outside in the cold by her parents, remarking that this isn’t the first time they have seen the girl in this situation. They take the precious little girl home and look after her for a few days whilst thinking about what to do with her. There is a moment of realisation where they find marks on her body and note that she has been wetting the bed, figuring out that she has been the victim of abuse by her wicked parents, from then on they effectively steal her and she becomes a part of the team. This new member Juri, who is played by Miyu Sasaki with such authenticity and innocence begins to be taught the dark arts of shoplifting by her elders, learning intricate little hand gestures as perfect signal markers.
There is a sense that Osamu and Noboyu believe that their actions of abducting these children is saving them instead, offering them love, food and shelter, something that a state-run children’s institute would partially do as well. Although highly illegal, it does not seem to affect their mindsets, most likely being thrown in jail if they were ever found out. It is ironic that the couple’s addiction to stealing has led to a more serious crime of stealing people, and the whole family is now a part of this much larger scheme. This is just the beginning of their little secrets.
Shoplifters is a delightful blend of a feel-good family film and a gritty crime drama riddled with tears and sadness. It fuses an unlikely group of lost souls, all sharing a frightening past and all equally damaged, into loveable and light-hearted characters. The story is intelligent and thought provoking, supported by some beautiful performances all round, making this an excellently well-rounded film and certainly one of Hirokazu Kore-eda best to date.
Available to rent on Amazon Prime and BFI player now.
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