Little Sister

The coexistence of a quartet of (step)sisters, the veranda of their old wooden house as a cementing point between them, and two funerals. Kore-eda's inimitable talent for moving without even the slightest hint of any cheapness, pandering or emotional blackmail (and there are several scenes and themes that invite tear-jerking and would not have been avoided by other director or screenwriting aces) is felt here more than ever. No drama, no conflict, no great love or life twists, no plot. Only what more erudite reviews have aptly described as "the tired poetics of the everyday". It may not be to everyone's taste, and does run the risk of stretching two hours of "nothingness" into several interminable days, but I was totally won over. It was like sitting on that porch in the freezing cold, the spring thaw, while picking plums. (05/01/2024)

(BE2CAN, Evald) In the end I gave up and fell asleep, incredibly empty. (18/10/2015)

I read an opinion below that this is a small film with a big heart, which I think is a description that fits the Japanese film perfectly. It's not spectacular, it's rather intimate, but it's not anything that tries to emotionally blackmail you. It's modest and it simply shows how human relationships can evolve, either through encounters or in the context of the death of loved ones. (16/08/2017)