Review of Like Father, Like Son (2013) by Jesse O — 21 Jul 2014

I'm debating whether or not I should give the film 4 or 4.5 stars. In the long run it doesn't really make a difference, nobody's gonna end up watching this film based on whether or not I give it 4 or 4.

5 stars. Regardless, sometimes as I write these reviews, upon going back and analyzing it, I end up liking the film more or less, obviously depending upon the quality of said film. So, as of now the rating is 4 stars, if it's 4.

5 when I publish it then you'd know it was better than I originally thought it was. Enough of that however, this might be the best Japanese film I've seen since Departures, a film I gave a perfect rating to.

The film certainly has familiar themes, switched at birth, there's even a show that deals with this concept. But whereas others use the concept to tell a melodramatic story, this uses its more contemplative tone, a Hirozaku Koreeda trademark, to tell a thought-provoking character study that is heartbreaking without ever feeling exploitative.

And I mean heartbreaking in the sense of what it must be like for the parents, who've spent six years caring and nurturing this child, growing to love him/her and then having the bombshell dropped that they were given the wrong child.

It brings up a lot of interesting questions about this type of situation and the pain it must bring to those involved. And how this affects the kids as well, they don't know what's going on. They just know that they're being removed from the household they've known, Keita from his privileged household and Ryusei from his more modest but happier household.

Understandably enough, the kids don't really comprehend why they've been uprooted from their normal situation. They, very obviously, want to go back to the place they grew up on and to be with the people both of them know to be their parents, whether biological or not.

All of this is done very subtly, of course. I think the film's subtlety and contemplative tone was certainly needed for this type of story. It would've felt exploitative and cheap if there had been any other method used.

The story is certainly very layered, there's a reason why Nonomiya, Keita's adoptive father, I suppose, is as detached and cold as he is with everyone. You don't really get to find out what happened, but it's got something to do with his stepmother.

Which reveals why he acts the way he does once he finds out that Keita isn't his biological son. It's in no way acceptable that he'd be so distant to his son, regardless of whether they share the same blood or not, but it does reveal a side of his past that clearly has affected him greatly.

One of the film's strongest points, other than its writing and beautiful acting, is how the story looks at how it affects everybody involved and not just Nonomiya or his wife. It's an exploration of nature vs nurture, social structure and how that affects the relationships between both families.

Nonomiya looks at Keita's biological mother and father with contempt and superiority because of his wealth. In a cliche theme, however, the other couple, with their more simple and modest lifestyle have achieved a level of happiness that Nonomiya and his family simply have not.

So there's the universal theme that money doesn't buy you real happiness. It can improve your social stature and give you a comfortable life, but not much else. It's a tired theme, but at least this movie uses it in an effective way.

As mentioned the acting is absolutely fabulous, completely naturalistic and organic. It lends an air of realism and credibility to the story. There's no over-the-top theatrics, a lot of the strongest moments, dramatically, are incredibly subtle.

Like when Nonomiya goes to pick up Ryusei after he runs away from "home" to go back to his real home with his real family. The film has an emotional depth that doesn't rely on the melodramatic, as many films of this ilk would probably do.

Of course with its contemplative, quiet, style, this film might not really reach as big an audience as a film of this quality probably deserves. In spite of all that, I found the movie to be incredibly compelling.

Its insight and emotional depth more than make up for any issues that people could come up with. At least that's my view on it. With that said, this is an excellent film, I think I'm sticking with 4 stars, but don't let that mislead you.

This is still a pretty incredible movie if you ask me and it's one that definitely asks a lot of interesting questions. I'd definitely recommend it if you appreciate Koreeda's type of filmmaking.