Director Hirokazu Koreeda’s previous film, Our Little Sister, was one of my favourites of last year. His follow-up, After the Storm, is very different in many ways, but shares the same stately pace, and provides a sublime experience once again.
Set in modern-day Japan, Shinoda Ryôta (Hiroshi Abe) is a divorced author who has not had a book published for many years and is barely earning a living as a private investigator. He had a troubled relationship with his recently deceased father, with whom he shares a gambling addiction. He only sees his young son, Shingo, once a month but is desperate to reconcile with his ex-wife, Kyôko, and become a larger part of the boy’s future. On a visit to Ryôta’s Mum, he, along with Kyôko and Shingo decide to stay the night because of an approaching typhoon making it unsafe to travel. Is that Ryôta’s chance to make amends with his ex-wife?
Koreeda’s screenplay is very simple, but utterly believable with its small observations. The realism of the relationship between mother and son ranks alongside anything I have seen in many years, and all the peripheral characters are fully rounded humans. I imagine that a Hollywood version of this story would contain a lot of signposted learning moments, but this film provides a much more subtle experience. By the end of the film, Ryôta may finally be getting his life in order, but, then again, it is left open-ended enough for that to be in doubt.
Still showing in selected art house cinemas, this is a rare treat with a marvellous central performance from Abe.
Rating: 9.5 out of 10