After the Storm (2016) User Reviews

Contemplative cinema at its best

[ctowyi · 8/10 · 6 October 2016]

There are not many directors whose films I greet with enthusiasm, let alone Japanese ones. I think Hirokazu Koreeda is the only one. His films are a different breed - simple in design, but brilliant in architecture and sublime in closure.

Koreeda is the leading exponent in contemplative cinema. Under his minimalist approach, the essence of familial life and couplehood is distilled into abstract thoughts lingering like warm tendrils wrapped around your mind. The movie may be over but it refuses leave the confines of your consciousness and you would want to surrender to its warm lull again. The tone of After the Storm is pitch-perfect - nobody screams in your face, there are no pointing fingers, no low brow soap-opera. The acting is exquisite and nuanced. What is not said speaks louder than what is uttered. There is humour of the familiar kind; it is the kind of humour you laughed heartily because it is so familiar and you recognise the situations because you have gone through them before. There are not many filmmakers who are as sensitive as Koreeda. Above all else, this is a director who listens to characters' inner thoughts and emotions like an old master piano tuner and he knows how to calibrate the performances for everlasting emotional heft. For Koreeda, it is always about the small moments leading to the big truths.

After the Storm is not one of Koreeda's best films (it needlessly took too long to establish Ryota's character) but it easily transcends way above all the flashy films that inundate our cinemas like ants to candies. I wish I had a notebook last night because some of the metaphors are amazing. Here is one, asseverated by the grandmother Yoshiko, "The longer a stew sits, the more flavour it develops, just like people."

Living a Desperate Life Hopefully

[HLX1992 · 8/10 · 4 May 2019]

I bet we all can find the shadow of the underachieved protagonist in ourselves, as chances are really slim in materializing one's aspirations in the cruel reality. There he is: down-and-out both in career and mariage, scraping by through blackmailing strangers, yet always managing to squeeze a complacent smile on his face when meeting his family. You would presume he is leading a hopeless, listless, even miserable life, but the means by which the Japanese director narrates the story also attached a rather warm hue to the banal life of the man. In the end, what do we know about life without living it through ourselves?

After The Storm emulates an estranged family through a blustery typhoon.

[TheMovieDiorama · 8/10 · 28 March 2019]

Kore-eda is a renowned Japanese director for personable family dramas. His work in 'Still Walking' and 'Like Father, Like Son' (although yet to see) prove he is a capable writer when dealing with common family experiences. Marital woes, grief, father and son relationships. The list goes on. This being my first Kore-eda experience, I was unsure which angle to approach this blistering drama with. Regardless, no matter how I set my mind, it was an evocative and multi-layered drama with a masterful level of maturity. A novelist turned private detective, who is struggling for money due to a gambling addiction, coincidentally finds himself stuck at his mother's house overnight when a typhoon hits Japan. At the time the storm hits, his ex-wife and son are also there and spend the night within this claustrophobic environment.

Metaphorically speaking, the typhoon is a vivid representation of the estranged behaviour from both Ryota and Kyoko. Their differences splitting the family apart with such velocity. Yet, there is no hatred. No malice. And that is what I adore about Kore-eda's approach, it doesn't conform to typical clichés. He treats the audience like adults and executes a realistic family drama without needing any overly dramatic plots. Just two characters talking, with personable dialogue that has a surprising amount of wit, attempting to reconcile their differences for the betterment of themselves and their son. The storm acts as plot device for Ryota, allowing him to use the natural disaster to bond with his son. Then, once it subsides, life continues. A profound statement for most families.

Kore-eda explores various areas of urban Japanese culture, especially gambling and poverty, that enables this drama to be multi-layered. But what really cemented his masterful screenplay was just how it personal it was to him. Immediately the characters are bursting with dimensionality, enabling us to invest the time into their stories. Whilst also dealing with the scope of life, by indicating that "grown-ups cannot live only with love". A fascinating character study of a man who's personal ambitions get in the way of living life now. Though the narrative structure is not as fluid as the rain pummelling down from the storm, due to the abrupt transition between the first half before the storm and the second half, it still remains a rigid story.

This is helped by Abe's resourceful performance which was incredibly nuanced. Ryota is a complicated character, and Abe executed his complexions with ease. The late Kiki also gave a noteworthy performance as his mother, offering various lessons on life as she attempts to fix broken bonds within her family. Yamasaki's cinematography was gorgeous, cleanly enveloping you in Japan's natural and urban beauty. Kore-eda also frequently utilised long takes of unedited dialogue exchanges which subconsciously draws you into the drama.

Another small criticism would be the underutilisation of Kyoko's new boyfriend, whom of which could've been used more effectively to display her inner conflict for starting a new family or mending the existing bonds for the sake of her son. Small nitpicks here and there for what is a genuinely mature drama that felt both personal and personable, bolstered by sterling performances and a valuable screenplay. Am excited to see what Kore-eda has in store for us in the future. Oh, and bonus points for showcasing 'Taiko No Tatsujin' (I frickin' love that game...).

My love is deeper than the sea

[simon-wang · 10/10 · 18 March 2017]

Most films these days do not have something to 'say' anymore. They don't have a deeper meaning. And if they do, it's mostly superficial or so complex you don't really understand. 'After the Storm' by Hirokuzu Kore-eda has something to say, it's like a condensed moment of life. You will be dumbstruck by it's beauty.

The story deals with Ryota, struggling with financial problems, and trying to keep contact with his son after divorcement. He works as a private detective, spying on affairs and looking for lost cats while his real passion lies in writing literature.

The entire film is built around a central story part where they take shelter from a taifun, it involves scenes of such profound beauty, you will be moved to tears. The beauty lies in the things that are not spoken out, yet linger in the air like rain: the missed opportunities to be happy, love gone by and yet - still there.

To say the film deals with abandoned dreams in the face of reality is wrong, it's the contrary. The film says: If you keep waiting for beauty in life, you will not realize that it has already arrived. Just not the way you thought it would.

So, what do you want to be when you grow up?

[sanjayduff · 9/10 · 15 September 2016]

After The Storm is an absolutely brilliant film, as it deals with the trials and tribulations of a father & perceived loser in the face of challenging life circumstances. Hiroshi Abe plays the role of Shinoda Ryota, a detective that is financially broke, divorced and living in the illusion of his past glory as an award winning author. He struggles to make ends meet and often resorts to gambling, stealing and backhand deals that involves extortion in order to support himself and to pay child support for his only son, Shingo.

Another eye-catching performance to look put for is by Ryota's mom, Yoshiko, played by Kirin Kiki. She absolutely nails the role of a bewildered, lonely and regretful single grandmother, often dwelling on the unfortunate circumstances of the past and blaming her late husband for how her son turned out. She provides most of the comedic moments in the movie, as her tendency to be over-bearing and cheapskate at times, will make you giggle in the very least. She also seems obsessed and resigned to the idea that she will die alone, hence she keeps requesting her son & daughter to keep her company as much as possible. On top of that, she also harbors the faint hope that her son can be re-united with his ex-wife, and tries to set them up to sleep together during a night of storm.

Overall, the theme of After the Storm is dealing with the present circumstances in the face of unrealized dreams and broken hopes. This theme is strong in the characters of Ryota and Yoshiko. Additionally, Ryota's ex-wife, Kyoko (played by Yoko Maki) also plays an important role as she embodies the person whom manages to focus her life solely in the present times. Whilst Ryota still perceives himself as the father responsible for Shingo's journey through his current childhood phase, Kyoko has moved on and has accepted the fact that Ryota was never cut out to be a responsible father. She has even found a new boyfriend and except for the monthly visit, would rather Shingo not be spending time with his actual dad.

What really catches the eye about this movie, is that even in a fully developed country like Japan, with is high standards of living and apparent high-culture, there exists people like Ryota; someone who is left behind by the fast-moving economy and rebels against the norm of participating in the corporate rat-race to succeed career-wise. He can be pictured as someone who is very defensive whenever questioned on his life choices and habits. However, just like a starry-eyed young graduate, Ryota had dreams of his own for a stable government job, which somehow never came to be. However, the pride in him never dissolves, as the once Award-winning author still feels he deserves recognition for his past work.

Touching, heartfelt real life drama

[rubenm · 7/10 · 8 May 2017]

In a relatively short time span, I've seen three films by Hirokazu Kore-Eda, and I'm planning to see many more. It seems most of his work is focused on family relations, and his films are touching, heartfelt real life dramas. The raw material for Kore-Eda's films are emotions, and the ways his protagonists express them in words and by their behaviour.

Like the two other films I've seen ('Our Little Sister' and 'Like Father, Like Son'), 'After the Storm' deals with parents, children, grandchildren and siblings. In this case, the central character is a divorced writer with financial problems, who has taken a job as a private detective to make ends meet. To keep up appearances, he pretends the job is a way of doing research for a new novel, but everyone knows there is no book.

His young son is very fond of his grandma, so they go visit her. But typhoon number 24 is approaching fast, and when the writer's ex-wife comes to the apartment to pick up the boy, the bad weather conditions prevent them from going home. They have to spend the night at the grandmother's house, just as if they were a normal family. And in a way, they almost are, during that one special night. After the storm, everything has returned to normal, except that the four of them are closer than they were before. The last shot is full of symbolism: the sun shines, but several broken and abandoned umbrellas are the witnesses of the stormy night.

It takes superior film making skills to turn such a story into a good movie. The emotions have to be measured out with care, in order to prevent it from turning into a tearjerker. The dialogue has to be natural, but at the same time not superficial. And the actors have to be completely believable. Just leave it to Kore-Eda: every scene is a joy to watch. It's those little things that make his characters so real: when his mother starts pleading him to stay the night, the writer says: oh, mother, please don't use this voice like you're almost dying. These are exactly the things mothers and sons say to each other, with a mix of affection and irritation.

The director also gives little hints and references which you only fully understand after a while. At the very beginning, the writer's mother remarks that a neighbour has moved to a bigger house. Only much later we learn that this has always been her own dream, and that she's tired of her own tiny apartment. I think it takes a second viewing to get all the tiny hints sprinkled throughout the story.

Are we what we hoped to be? And what was it exactly we hoped to be? Those are the questions 'After the Storm' deals with. There are no clear cut answers. But thinking about the questions makes this film worthwhile.

One of Koreeda's best films

[howard.schumann · 9/10 · 16 October 2016]

Fear that your children may mimic your worst qualities is the driving force in Hirokazu Koreeda's ("Our Little Sister") After the Storm (Umi yori mo mada fukaku), a compassionate look at the struggles of a Japanese family. Its title derived from the lyrics of an old pop song, the film is set in Kiyose, a city near Tokyo where it is beautifully shot in the housing compound where Koreeda grew up by cinematographer Yutaka Yamasaki. Ryota Shinoda (Hiroshi Abe, "Everest: The Summit of the Gods") is a novelist who has not had a story published in fifteen years and is forced to work for a private detective agency, which he claims is solely to do research for his next novel. Using his detective job to spy on Kyoko's new boyfriend with the help of his young detective-partner (Sosuke Ikematsu, "Mubansô"), he learns that she is dating a wealthy businessman who is intrusive in Shingo's life.

A gambling addict who squanders much of his earnings, Ryota's relationship with his young son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa) is in jeopardy as his ex-wife Kyoko Shiraishi (Yoko Maki, "Like Father, Like Son") threatens to keep him from seeing Shingo until he catches up on his child support payments. The first time we see Ryota we are not impressed. He is going through his recently deceased father's private belongings to see if he can find anything that he could sell. It seems, however, that his father was also a gambler and Ryota's search might have been better conducted at the local pawn shop. While it is clear that he is not a role model for parenting, Ryota is man of considerable charm and Koreeda does not stand in judgment of his actions but depicts his travails with warmth and humor. We see that in spite of his dubious habits, his sister (Satomi Kobayashi) and his employer are both willing to lend him money.

With the help of his own mother, the spunky and very astute Yoshiko (Kirin Kiki, "Our Little Sister"), Ryota has his sights set on reuniting with Kyoko and Shingo. His love for his son is very real but he seems incapable of breaking from his demons, the same ones that dominated his father's life. Attempting to win back Shingo's love, he takes him out for a hamburger, buys him new shoes, and visits Yoshiko, the boy's beloved grandmother. Knowing that a typhoon is on the way, the family comes together to spend the night and to wrestle with the direction that their lives will take. "Why can't men ever love the present," Yoshiko wonders, highlighting an important message of the film, that people must accept the reality of how they really are.

While there is truth to the idea that we must accept who we are, there is a thin line between accepting your limitations and recognizing that you have the power to transform your life, to live the life you want rather than the life you are resigned to. Also, while the idea that sons will always take after their father is accepted without question, the reality in my experience is that sons will either take after their fathers or make very sure that they do not. After the Storm is one of Koreeda's best films and, as always, he elicits exceptional performances from children as well as brilliant takes by Kiki and Hiroshi Abe, but, in my view, its message is debatable.

A mother's one final push to save her son's marriage.

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 24 February 2017]

Remarkable consistency in delivering great dramas. If you are a drama film fan without the language barrier, then you must have seen at least a couple of films of Hirokazu Koreeda. Less than a year ago I saw his new arrival 'Our Little Sister'. Despite not overwhelmingly impressed with that, I won't say that I did not enjoy it. I always fascinated with the realistic portrayal, but the points should be executed so well than leaving empty scenes and dialogues, and calling it an art film. This one was much better. The first impression was okay, but after giving some time between my watch and writing this review, I kind of started to like it more.

First of all, this story was not new for me. I have already seen a few similar themed films from other parts of the world, particularly in Hollywood. But none of them were as serious as this one while narrating its tale. The storyline was simple, entirely focused on a family, fighting on stumbling marriage. It was a long introduction, particularly aimed at a father, like how he messed up in his life with gambling. But opening few minutes made him look like a man of example. Only in the following event you would know how deep his troubles are.

Other than his family, his work field was introduced to us. Being a writer, but for a few quick bucks working as a private eye on his part time, he misuses the opportunity with his loyal friend. Once the film reaches the half way mark, the focus shifts back to the family where the remaining story takes place. It was a stormy day and they all gather in his mother's apartment. This is where everything will be cleared out, whether the marriage will be saved or not. But the mother's one final push as it seems planned perfectly, would it deliver a result is what you should watch it to learn.

❝I wonder why it is that men can't love the present. Either they just keep chasing whatever it is they've lost, or they keep dreaming beyond their reach.❞

You can't doubt Hiroshi Abe's presence. He was perfect along with Kirin Kiki, whose a few films I've seen before, but only started to notice recently with her amazing performance from 'Sweet Bean'. The casting looked great, and the locations. I always like films about elderly people, especially to highlight their struggle. And most of the Japanese films I have seen on that concept were just like the way I wanted. Maybe because there are lots of aging people in Japan than anywhere else. Just kidding.

Obviously dialogues are very important for a film and there were many good lines spoken. At one point in the final stage, it flips towards sentiments. Very touching conversation, particularly coming from an old and experienced woman, which is definitely worth taking heed. This is a family film. Despite about a marriage crisis, there is no speculation, like twist and turns. Interesting enough with its plain narration. True to its title and when the title part comes into play, that's where it gets its peak. With its nearly two hours runtime, the pace was acceptable, but patience needed for those got trouble with long films.

This is the film about our life, that we can try for what we want to be, but achieving it not easy, not everybody would succeed that. Accepting the fact, as life my go on was the message. Incredible writing and direction. Feels like straight out of a book, it's an original screenplay though. Surely you don't want to miss this film, from this director. Because if you do, it is equal to failing to watch the latest Woody Allen film. Only he's a Japanese version. My final words are the director already made his masterpiece(s), but still it is near to one compared to the international cinemas. So I'm not saying it is a must, but surely worth a try.

7½/10

That gentle Kore-eda magic

[gbill-74877 · 8/10 · 3 May 2021]

Such a gentle, sad film. It's a story of letting a good life slip away not through a single bad decision, but by a succession of small ones, something we learn about a guy (Hiroshi Abe) only gradually. He's quite a deadbeat, gambling away money when he gets his hands on it, not paying his child support or rent, and stealing things from his widowed mother (Kirin Kiki) to take to the pawn shop. He's a hard guy to like or sympathize with, and a disappointment to everyone around him, most touchingly his ex-wife (Yoko Maki) and son.

Kore-eda wisely doesn't turn the film into a melodrama by trying to explain everything that's happened in these people's lives, but we can connect some of the dots with what he shows us. I wondered if the main character had known that his father was secretly proud of the book he had written, whether that would have made a difference in how he turned out. Maybe that's one of the saddest things, being aware of failure but seemingly unable (or unwilling) to take control and start taking positive steps again.

Kiki is wonderful in her part, shining especially in a flash of emotion where she wonders how things could have ended up this way. The moment where his son innocently asks him "are you who you wanted to be?" hits pretty hard too. And yet, none of them demonize him, and I'm pretty sure I judged him more than they did, even if his ex-wife stood up to all his BS pretty well. That's part of Kore-eda's magic, to be so incredibly gentle and accepting despite dealing with dark subjects. He also doesn't offer any excuses or a flimsy feel-good resolution. We can decide for ourselves what will happen with these characters, much as we have control over at least some of the decisions in our lives.

Keeping it in the family

[politic1983 · 7/10 · 17 June 2017]

While not yet proving to be quite as prolific as the great masters Ozu, Mizoguchi and Naruse at their most busy, there is becoming something routine about another year and another trip to Cannes for perhaps Japan's best current working director, Kore-eda Hirokazu. There is a clear progression from his bleakly haunting first three films, 'Maborosi', 'After Life' and 'Distance' to a more routine playground of 'shomin-geki' (lower-middle class family drama), moving from more complex ennui to a more mainstream exploration of various unusual family scenarios.

'After the Storm', the most recent lover he took with him to southern France, certainly feels like a follow-on from his previous works 'Still Walking' and 'Kiseki'. Here, the family get-together of 'Still Walking' is replaced by the impromptu night-in to weather the storm, with Kirin Kiki and Hiroshi Abe reprising their roles as mother and prodigal son; and 'Kiseki's' Koichi is replaced by Abe's Ryota: a grown man who can't move on from his divorce from his wife and son, Kyoko and Shingo. With the cast also featuring other now established Kore-eda 'family' members, in the form of Lili Franky and Yoko Maki, this could all start to feel a little too familiar. Though he would not be the first great director to embrace this approach.

Suitably unshaven, Ryota is a recent divorcée, struggling to come to terms with his new position. A former novelist, enjoying some minor success with his novel 'The Empty Table' fifteen years previous, he now finds himself working as a private detective, betraying the trust of both his boss and untrustworthy clients; gambling heavily, living alone. Not only losing his wife and son, he has lost the respect of others, and even himself. His ex-wife can't rely on him to pay child support; his sister believes he is only after their mother's meagre funds; and his boss knows he is moonlighting behind his back. The only ones showing any positivity towards him are his mother, in the form of witty banter about how useless he has become, much like his father; his work colleague, Kento, who begrudgingly lends him money to gamble away; and his son, whose indifference to him is as good as he can get.

His attempts to win Kyoko and Shingo back, in his sly, underhand manner, therefore, are never going to work. By purposefully taking Shingo to his mother's small apartment as a typhoon approaches , he hopes to lure Kyoko to spend the night as a family with his deceit, unable to grasp that it is acts such as this that pushed her away in the first place. He is a man above his station, and in pursuing his second novel, that everyone can see will never happen, turns down lucrative offers to write more mainstream manga, as he believes it compromises his artistic integrity which died long ago.

His profession now to watch others, Ryota has become completely unaware of himself and the impact of his actions on those around him. Playing the victim, he is never the bad guy. Comparisons are often made to his father, harking to Kore-eda's previous title 'Like Father, Like Son'. Kyoko can see the future she would be offered with Ryota, in the form of her former mother-in-law's cramped apartment where she is forced to spend the night: As an elderly woman, left alone and near penniless by her husband's rash actions. Whereas Ryota can only see the past.

Eventually realising that he is only deceiving himself (urgh, I just wrote that!), as the storm passes and the fresh morning awakes, he starts to come to terms with this. This may all seem quite obvious and light, wondering if Kore-eda has lost a bit of spark, getting too comfortable in his work. And indeed, you may wish for a more dark perspective as in his earlier days. But the realism holds, and the wit of the script raises a smile. The cast perform their roles in a way that is believable, avoiding soap opera clichés and social stereotypes; and the stark soundtrack steers it away from melodrama.

Yes, this is more of the same, but in the same way that Ozu remade his own 'Late Spring' with 'An Autumn Afternoon'. The formula is working, and with enough bite to keep it away from the daytime TV nicety, ensuring that the familial isn't too familiar just yet.

politic1983.blogspot.co.uk

Underscores the universality of humanity.

[rkhen · 10/10 · 19 September 2018]

Others have summed it up. I'll just add that from the very first scene -- a simple conversation between a grown daughter and her mother, in the mother's kitchen -- I instantly recognised my own sister and my own mother. The dialogue is so accurate it could be a documentary. The fact that I'm (we're) not Japanese is entirely beside the point.

Which is part of the point, I think.

The characters in this film completely absorbed me, right from the start. Even the supporting roles are incredibly well-played. (C.f. The main character's kind, patient, cheery, long-suffering young partner.) And the script manages to be simultaneously funny and familiar and deeply heartbreaking, all at the same time.

It's also a very courageous movie that's not afraid to ditch storybook clichés and stick to plausibility. The main character in particular is played like an actual person; you want him to win, you want him to grow up, you want to kick him... but you don't. Because it's not that simple.

You don't see many films like that.

And don't walk out on the credits; the final song (Deep Breath, by Hanaregumi) is devastating and beautiful, and somehow manages to sum up the whole story without actually being about the story.

Just... brilliant.

Deep characters

[breadandhammers · 7 September 2020]

Koreeda always knows how to make deep character portrayals that are calm on the surface but roiling underneath.

Even Deeper Than We Want to Admit

[ASuiGeneris · 7/10 · 4 April 2018]

After the Storm (Japanese: Umi yori mo Mada Fukaku (Even Deeper Than the Sea)) (2016) Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda 7/10

Here we are again, Kore-eda's family tales, Always perceptive, Impressive in its insight For human nature And family dynamics. Solemn but honest, Many will deride this film, As he represents Ourselves in desperate times, Our worst fears come true. Disappointments and crushed dreams, Life is what happens, When we're making other plans. Sometimes we cannot Do the great things that we dreamed, Be who we wanted. Contemplative Cinema, Kore-eda does well, But this one could be better. Pacing unbalanced, Also called Slow Cimema, Only sometimes bored. Supporting cast needs more depth, Like sister and son, Seemingly detached ex-wife. A Portrait of the Father as he Somewhat Tries To be an author, Though his last notable work Was decades ago. To flourish as detective, Though to him this means Acting as double agent, Slyly blackmailing Not clients but the targets, Collecting double; To be a winning gambler, Lottery tickets And bets on cycling races, Often borrowing; To evade his sister's scorn, Who knows all his tricks Pawning things scrounged from mother's; To be a good man, Avoid late father's mistakes, A lying gambler; To accept his failed marriage, Faded long ago; To be the ideal father, Which likely starts with Paying for child support And quality time, Not bribing his son with cleats He scuffs for discount; To take care of his mother, Who defies her age, Maybe even steals the show In her quiet love, As she makes one last attempt During timely storm At saving his family And in a way, him. Playground scene wins me over, As we feel and see His denial wash away Into acceptance; Analgesic quality, Sheltered from the helpful storm.

Choka (long poem) is an epic storytelling form of poetry from the Waka period, an unrhymed poem with the 5-7-5-7-5-7-5-7...7 syllable format (any odd number line length with alternating five and seven syllable lines that ends with an extra seven syllable line). #Choka #PoemReview

Very Slow Moving

[Professor123 · 3/10 · 14 June 2017]

I had high hopes for this movie but found it very lackluster and slow.

While the promotional information about the movie sets out the background for the story, it never really got off the ground. The start and bulk of the storytelling is focused on the Ryôta, the Father at the center of the story. The pace of the story telling is very slow and really goes in to a lot of minuscule and non-necessary detail and scenes that are not really relevant to the overall story.

While there were some humorous dialogue and lines, the delivery of these and the timing from the actors was not that great.

I really struggled to find something positive to say about this movie but I kept being let down as the movie progressed. While I understood the story that was trying to be told, I just felt it left you wanting and empty.

Koreda But No Bull

[writers_reign · 8/10 · 18 June 2017]

A few months ago serendipity brokered a meeting between me and an exquisite film from Japan entitled Our Little Sister. I was totally captivated so much so that I watched it again within days and bought the DVD as soon as it appeared. This week another film by the same director - who also, it appears, works on the screenplays of his movies - was released in London. I found it had already been written about in glowing terms here on IMDb and I noted with interest that the comments came from several different countries around the world, testifying to the universal appeal of this minimalist filmmaker. It's difficult to conceive that this virtually invisible style of acting co-exists in the world of, say, Robert de Niro, Dennis Hopper, etc, where the goal seems to be last one to be sectioned is a sissy. After The Storm is yet another sublime essay about ordinary people coping with everyday traumas or not, as the case may be. Though it's churlish to single out any one actor it's equally hard not to wallow in the beautiful performance of Kirin Kiri as the mother/grandmother coping with the dysfunctional son and his fractured family. A true gem.

A Beautiful Japanese Drama

[schumrossi · 9/10 · 4 February 2017]

I watched this movie yesterday at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. I walked into the movie with absolutely no expectations, the movie started off on a good note. I was really impressed with the way the characters of the movie have been crafted. Each of them very relevant to middle class families struggling to meet their ends. I absolutely loved the humour and I so badly wished I knew Japanese. It is a different thing to get the gist out of subtitles. The people in the cinema hall enjoyed at the subtle moments between the characters. The actor playing the hero was a class apart. He was very lovable and I could feel myself experience the troubles and tribulations along with him. The kid has played the role very sincerely. Overall I would definitely recommend the movie to any fan of Asian cinema. Kudos !!

Still struggling, still waiting, still walking.....

[MovieIQTest · 31 March 2018]

Some of the Japanese films not adapted from the clueless, childish and absurd Japanese comics books like this one and "Aruitemo aruitemo(Still Walking) 2008" were the living proof that Japanese can still make normal, more down to earth, serious enough movies. They are instant classic. Thanks to IMDB's Trivia, allowing me to know that the title of this film was originated from the lyrics, a beautiful song sang by the immortal Teresa Teng.

Also, what I'd like to point out here is, Kirin Kiki's, the "Mother" role she played in both of the films are just speechlessly superb!! One of the very best supporting female actors I've rarely found in recent years. Her performances had made these films look more real and natural. Every act moment by her in these films should be seriously studied if you want to know what is the ultimate "Performing Art".

I wish both the Japanese and American movie industries could abandon doing movies adapted from their comics books, especially away from those unrealistic fantasies as those ridiculous "Super heroes" violent junk, and return to the real world.

a man adrift

[cdcrb · 7/10 · 17 March 2017]

the trailer is great. the film, not as much. ryoto, (abe hiroshi), a divorced father, is behind in everything, including life. at 35 he had 15 minutes of fame for publishing a novel. at 49, he hasn't written anything in years and is living a rudderless existence. he is at least two months behind in child support payments. he spies on unfaithful partners for a living and that includes spying on his ex wife and her new boyfriend. he pumps his son for information about his mother. he is surrounded by enablers, who, of course, keep him afloat. and at 1:57 minutes, the movie seems long. this is not to say I didn't like the movie. the pace is slow, though.

Hirokazu's Masterpiece

[hmzunair · 8/10 · 7 May 2017]

In modern times, foreign language movies have made a huge and long lasting impression on cinema and have pulled many viewers towards them. With movies such as Children of Heaven, A Separation, The lives of others and Incendies, foreign cinema has contributed a lot to the film industry. Iranian and Japanese cinemas, in specific, have amazed us with some masterpieces in the past. After the Storm is one of many Japanese movies which not only have entertained us with its solid screenplay but have also raised a lot of questions to put our minds to some exercise. After the Storm, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, circles around a private detective who loses his money in gambling and then struggles to pay child support money. He undergoes several problems and issues to reconnect with his son and ex-wife. Hirokazu have made some very good movies in the past such as Nobody Knows and After Life but After the Storm is the best of his work. The movie doesn't include any major plot twist rather it's entirely based on family dynamics and it's a domestic melodrama, filled with emotional speeches and ferocious acts of parental selfishness. Ryota, the lead character, works for a private detective agency and has a son but after the death of his father he seems to have lost the control of his life, wastes all his money on racing tracks and ends up as same kind of father as the man who raised him. His ex-wife Kyoke is also shown as a confused individual who is worried about her future prospects and Shingo, his son, seems to be on the same path of uncertainty and struggle as his parents. The best thing I have extracted from the movie is the idea that there are so many things of great value in our life but we never realize their true significance till we lost them. It also reminds us that nothing is more important than the moment you are currently in. Koreeda's After the Storm is slow-paced, sad and apologetic. The movie questions one of the basic human behavior that how to move forward amidst all the frustration and loss and leaves it to the viewers to find their own answer. The character of Ryota tells us a lot about how time can change so drastically and how things go wrong for you all at once. A former prize winner for his novel ends up as a failure to his own self, to his son and his family. But life isn't about giving up rather it's about standing up every time it tries to keep you down. And Ryota tries to overcome his loss although he falls short every time. The movie tells us that even if we lose control of our lives we can take it back, it's all about our attitude towards our loss. Life demands a lot from us, sometimes it tests our resolution and calls for our persistence because we can try for what we want, but achieving it not easy as it is exhibited by Hirokazu through his masterpiece. After the Storm is about the intimate struggle of moving forward and brings forward the lesson of keep on trying, no matter how hard the life is, because you can only achieve when you're ready to endure the pain beyond your limits. What is lost can be won again, it's only the matter of belief and grit. Screenplay of After the Storm is beyond any admiration as Hirozaku has beautifully portrayed the life of a common man and have magnificently summed up the struggle of moving forward in this life. The story doesn't have any loopholes in it, it connects the characters with such perfection that viewers never lose the plot. It binds its viewers with such strong force that make them able to both enjoy the movie and listen to the truth the movie speaks. Although the direction of the movie is flawless but its screenplay has come out as the most promising production element. Above discussion can be concluded with the biggest truth we learn from the movie, life is less about getting what you want than it is wanting what you get.

Unbelievable peace

[sherlockshen · 7/10 · 23 August 2022]

The movie is so simple, so flat, and the plot is so normal that I was still waiting for something happening when the movie came to an end. The whole movie is just like the Grandma. All the characters are so spiritless just like Grandma. I didn't know how I feel and what to express after the curtain fell down.

But I did know that, as I always expected, Abe is a great actor. His performance is the only humor point of the movie.

Exposes the nakedness of a desperate man doing the best he can to earn the respect of his post divorce family..

[herirmoran · 8/10 · 22 July 2017]

Loved the raw picture of a modern culture in which people are getting by with 1000 year tradition behind them yet battling new world problems. As if a piece of a puzzle, you witness just one unit of this society politely confronting each other with themes of death, separation, ego, love, and trust. The film's tone, tempo, picture was pleasant and the story unfolded well. I guess I'm the target audience age group so the resonance struck well with this film.

I didn't get the fuss!!

[haidarkanaan · 6/10 · 27 September 2020]

The movie is not boring , it's quite enjoyable and watchable . It was okay , but i couldn't understand why so many people rate it 9 and 10 ? It is not a masterpiece , and doesn't have anything to say , doesn't have deeper meaning , or purpose , it's just a piece ,an image , a slice of a failed man's life , a very very normal life where someone wake up , go t work , has bills , visit his mother etc.. so where on Earth the fuss came from ?

A different point of view of Kore'eda's earlier script/film "I Wish"

[JuguAbraham · 8/10 · 13 October 2018]

Another lovely original film and script from Kore'eda with a wonderful cast.

Original? Yes. But linked to his own earlier 2011 script for "Kiseki" (I Wish). In "I wish" an almost or fully broken marriage of two young parents were was being tried to be patched up by a son who was directly affected by the break-up. Here in "After the Storm" a son is similarly affected by the almost final breakup of his parents marriage, but the torn marriage is being tried to be fixed for the sake of the child by the father. thus one film is the positive action from the point of view of a son, the other later film from that of a father for the sake of the son and his wife.

So many films of Kore'eda deal with broken marriages and kids with missing parents in their lives. The most heart-rending one was "Nobody Knows," the most complex one was "The Third Murder."

Kore-eda seems to be getting better as a scriptwriter and director in each film. The subtle references to Christianity surfaces here with references to Mother Teresa, only to be more prominent in "The Third Murder."

This Kore-eda film is considerably helped by his stock artists Hiroshi Abe ("Still Walking", "I Wish"), Yoko Maki ("Like Father, Like Son") and the lovely late Kirin Kaki ("Still Walking," "I Wish").

Was there a problem with the film? Of course, there was. Where was the storm/hurricane? The only scene of inclement weather was the rain in the night, when the parents of the boy stay together. Even the day after the storm, the exteriors of the apartment didn't seem to be affected by a hurricane/typhoon/cyclone. Even indoors, there is no evidence of a vicious storm raging outside during the night.

Well made...but glacially slow.

[planktonrules · 6/10 · 29 October 2022]

Hirokazu Koreeda is a director who shows a very different side of Japanese society in his films. Instead of stories about incredible people in unusual situations or even normal middle class people, he often focuses on the margins...folks who don't quite fit in to society. Thieves, lepers, and gamblers are more Koreeda's sort!

In "After the Storm", Koreeda focuses on a man who by almost any standard is a total loser. Shinoda has lost his wife and he longs to be involved in his son's life...but not enough to straighten up his life. Nearly everything he earns from a lousy job as a cheap detective goes towards gambling. It's sad, because long ago, he sold a novel...but since then he's done nothing of any value. The film follows him over time...and you see that essentially he's not going to change.

Of all the Koreeda films I've seen, this one was the most difficult to watch. It wasn't because the leading character was a bit of a weasel. It's more because the pacing is so slow...almost glacially slow. Well made...but slow!

Japanese Soap

[fanbaz-549-872209 · 1/10 · 11 May 2017]

Hard to find anything to say in favor for this two hour long, badly acted and poorly directed offering. I would like to because I saw it with the director sitting more or less next to me and he spoke for a while before the showing, and seems a nice chap. But his movie was nothing more than a soap opera. The lead had a couple of faces he pulled. Sad. Perplexed. That was his limit as far as acting goes. His old mum played at being an old mum and the ex wife went through the routine of the ex wife, who might or might not still love the hubby. And please don't get fooled like me. This film has nothing to do with a detective. Or an author. That's just the press trying to get you interested because detectives are good box office. The director, to make things worse, has only four shots. Mid shot with actors in the foreground talking to actors behind without looking round. Close ups of inanimate objects. A pan of soup. A cup of tea. Then into a close up of a head about to say something 'important'. And exterior shots where actors stand facing the camera and talk and talk and talk. And there is a lot of talking. But nothing gets said. This movie had the same effect on me being forced to listen to someone talking non stop on their cell phone. I don't buy different countries have their own way of doing things. Outside Hollywood, the rest of the world have a common approach to movie making. This film fails miserably to reach any of the standards set by this common community.