I saw the Japanese film, Shoplifters, a few weeks ago and am still thinking about it. The theme is adoption, or at least families together who are not biologically related. Loosely, it’s about a man who teaches his son what he knows, which is shoplifting. It’s also about a man and the woman he loves and the children they love, and how they become a family. To tell you more would reveal too much because the film is full of surprises.
I love that Shoplifters was made in Japan, by a filmmaker who is male. The reason I love these things is because they prove issues of adoption are universally felt, and by people who are not only female.
(This should be obvious, but isn’t, always.)
Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. The performances are across-the-board masterful, with Sakura Ando’s portrayal of the mother particularly breathtaking. The film is rated R. My kids haven’t seen it.
Shoplifters is provocative, moving, quiet, and powerful. It’s well worth watching.
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