Review of I Wish (2011) by Art S — 23 Oct 2014

Deceptively simple, as if Kore-eda managed to "capture" reality and transmit it to us, but in actuality meticulously crafted, right down to the soundtrack which may be the key force in getting us on the movie's wavelength.

I don't necessarily mean the music, which is pleasant enough indie-guitar and j-pop jangling, but instead the way that the voices of the kids (there are 7 of them in larger or smaller roles) and adults (mostly oldies in larger roles) tend to overlap and join together and emerge naturally amidst the other diegetic sounds, saying natural-seeming things.

Indeed, the movie could be taken as a 1970's Altman-esque affair, rather de-centralized in plotting (although the focus on the two brothers who wish their parents' divorce hadn't separated them provides the main thrust) and featuring a widening array of characters some of whom have only bit parts but still provide loads of color and emotional weight.

Of course, having been to Japan may help one to appreciate the film, making it easier to settle into its relaxed grooves, or perhaps having seen any Hollywood product starring kids will allow even the least Nihon-aware viewer to realize that this film is as far away from that cloying, over-acted, sentimental, and artificial claptrap as you can possibly get.

Kore-eda's other films (After Life, Nobody Knows, Maborosi, Still Walking) are also worth your time, if this is your jam.