Still Walking (Hirozaku Koreeda)

After films like Maboroshi, Afterlife, and Nobody Knows, Still Walking is Koreeda's latest film. While it's known that Koreeda is influenced by the the old Japanese masters like Ozu, this film is a real homage in the sense that it's a family drama. The themes of the family that has fallen apart, the characterizations in the characters, and the objects that connect the scenes with eachother. But not everything is like an Ozu picture. The shooting isn't as static and more important: the film plays mostly on one summer day.

Every year a family comes together because of the loss of the oldest son. The parents are still bittered, because as the mother says: isn't burying your son the saddest thing there is? In the meanwhile the younger son has married a widow, with a son, it's the first time he visits his old home again in a long time. 

The title of the film; Still Walking, could refer to the fact that the son is always walking in the shadow of his dead older brother. In Japanese culture, the oldest son is considered the most important. He often picks up the same job as his dad. The title also refers to the fact that the family keep walking to the grave every year, of the dead son and the inability to move on. Especially the parents cannot forget about it. The mother keeps inviting the boy who was saved by her son, while he sacrificed himself. She does so on purpose, so she can let someone else feel the grief once a year.

The writing is one of the strongest points of Still Walking. The characterizations are acted out perfectly by the actors, which makes the characters easy to empathise with. The themes of Still Walking are universal, and there is some of it in every family. Koreeda's earlier films all still had some documentary in it, but Still Walking feels like an excellent written film. Koreeda wanted to be a writer before he started out as a filmmaker, and now we can see why.

With Still walking, Koreeda has made another masterpiece. With such a diversity in his films, it's hard to say what will be his next move. His films are turning more into fiction and less relying on concept and beautiful images, as his former films. With his excellent writing and characterization Koreeda has become Japan's leading filmmaker, with still a bright future ahead.

***** (out of 5)