It is that time of year when Oscar-nominated films that didn't experience wide release begin hitting theaters. I hope to see a few of those films and ultimately present an Oscar guide to those who haven't had a chance to see all the films. Last night, my wife and I attended a screening of Shoplifters nominated in the category of best foreign film. Shoplifters won the highest award at Cannes, the Palm D'or. While that award carries the same weight as the Oscars among some film buffs, I find many of the films that win to be mediocre. Shoplifters is a bit better than average.
Shoplifters introduces us to an atypical Japanese family. It appears many generations of a family are residing under the same roof with their elderly grandmother. Everything is not quite as it seems. Osamu (Lily Franky) is a day laborer who teaches his young son to shoplift when he is not working construction. He and his son, Shota (Jyo Kairi), have just completed a shoplifting mission when they spot a young girl locked out on her porch in the freezing cold. Osamu decides to feed the girl, who says her name is Yuri (Miyu Sasaki). Osamu and his girlfriend, Nobuyo (Sakura Ando) intend to take Yuri home, but change their mind when they discover the girl is being abused. The matriarch has a granddaughter who also lives with the family, Aki (Mayu Matsuoka). The family has a strange dynamic, beyond just their propensity for shoplifting. When Shota feels their moral code has changed, he intentionally gets caught, unraveling the complex dynamics of the family, challenging the concept of what constitutes family.
Director Hirokazu Koreeda conceived the story for Shoplifters after seeing reports of increased shoplifting in Japan. The story is driven by the characters, creating a sense of familiarity and compassion for a family that does not share any blood connections. To look at them, one sees a close, loving family. The story seems to challenge our ideals about what makes a family, as well. The story was interesting, particularly the last third as we begin to understand the complexity of the family dynamics. The characters were also crafted well and engaging. The pacing was rough. There were long stretches where the film slipped into tediousness. This isn't the type of film that is meant to keep you on the edge of your seat. But I did feel a bit distracted at times due to the uneven pacing.
I don't know the cast from Shoplifters, but I enjoyed the performances. The cast helped bring the characters to life. Sasaki stole the show as the cute, impressionable five-year-old. She seemed incredibly smart, which makes sense since she was actually seven when this film was made. She looks five. She was a great choice. Franky has been in quite a few films, but I am unfamiliar with him. He provided a lot of the complexity this film needed to have credibility. His performance was central. I'm not sure which film I have seen Ando in, but I like her. She isn't gorgeous, but she has an allure that transcends beauty. I liked her in this film as well. The other notable performance was Kairi as the older brother. He was solid as well. The casting helped this film, which relied heavily on the characters to connect with the audience.
Shoplifters was rated R by the MPAA. This is a film with heavy thematic material. Aside from the obvious topic of using children for shoplifting, the film has many other thematic elements. The film deals with topics that include death, kidnapping and the sex industry. In spite of those topics, nudity was confined to two scenes and was limited to buttocks (both male and female). The film included cigarette smoking and some minor alcohol consumption. The primary rating driver in this film is the thematic material. It is heavy for younger audiences. I would suggest a teen audience or older. Run time is two hours, one minute.
Shoplifters is an interesting tale. I don't think it will win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, but I haven't seen the other nominees yet. I hope to see a few before the Oscars so I have a better idea. This film is geared toward a niche audience. It achieved widespread popularity in Japan, but I think it is geared more toward the artistic crowd. I enjoyed the film, but I generally don't like it when films brood too much. This film edges close to that line with the pacing at times. It makes its points, but could likely have lost about ten minutes of celluloid without losing any meaning. 7.5/10.
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