After the Storm (2016 film)

After the Storm
Theatrical release poster
Japanese 海よりもまだ深く
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Produced by Kaoru Matsuzaki
Akihiko Yose
Hijiri Taguchi
Screenplay by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring Hiroshi Abe
Kirin Kiki
Yōko Maki
Music by Hanaregumi
Cinematography Yutaka Yamasaki
Edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Production
company
Distributed by Gaga
Release date
  • May 18, 2016 (2016-05-18) (Cannes)
  • May 21, 2016 (2016-05-21) (Japan)
Running time
 117 minutes
Country Japan
Language Japanese
Box office $5.3 million

After the Storm (海よりもまだ深く, Umi yori mo Mada Fukaku) is a 2016 Japanese family drama film edited, written, and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival[1][2] and was released in Japan on May 21, 2016.[3]

Plot

Dwelling on his past glory as a prize-winning author, Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) wastes any money he makes as a private detective on gambling and can barely make ends meet or pay child support for his son. He makes extra money by offering his own services to the detective agency's clients. Though he is offered a contract to write for a manga series with an upcoming artist, his personal ambitions get in the way.

After the death of his father, his aging mother Yoshiko (Kirin Kiki) seems to be moving on with her life with hobbies with the local elderly ladies. Ryota finds his sister Chinatsu is visiting their mother frequently and suspects she is trying to sponge off her; he believes she makes their mother pay for her daughter's figure skating lessons from her social pension. His sister in her turn suspects Ryota's visits are for taking advantage of their mother.

Ryota is trying to get back with his ex-wife Kyoko (Yoko Maki), who has grown tired of Ryota's excuses for his continual failure to pay child support and threatens to stop letting him spend time with their young son, Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa). Ryota is aware that Kyoko has a new boyfriend and fears her remarriage will end his relationship with Shingo. In a stormy summer night sheltered at his mother's home with his family, Ryota attempts to take back control of his existence and to find a lasting place in Shingo's life. His ex-wife says it is truly over with them and grown-ups cannot live only with love, planning is required as well and Ryota isn't cut out to be a family man. If he were, he would have done so earlier. Ryota understands and uses the storm as a chance to bond with his son by repeating a memorable experience he once had with his father sheltering in a local playground as the storm rages.

The next morning, they resume their lives.

Cast

Production

Kore-eda conceived of the film in 2001 when he visited his mother who had been living alone in a housing complex after his father's death. He started writing the screenplay in the summer of 2013.[4] Filming began in May 2014 and lasted a month and a half, in between the production of Our Little Sister, which was shot throughout a year.[5]

Reception

Box office

On its opening weekend at the Japanese box office, After the Storm was placed fifth, with 89,510 admissions.[6]

Reviews

The film has a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 115 critics, with an average score of 7.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "After the Storm crosses cultural lines to offer timeless observations about parental responsibilities, personal bonds, and the capacity for forgiveness."[7] It also holds an 84/100 on Metacritic.[8] Calling the film "a classic Japanese family drama of gentle persuasion and staggering simplicity", which is "beautifully balanced between gentle comedy and the melancholy reality of how people really are," Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter suggests the film is about how "you can’t always have the life you want, or be who you want to be".[9]

Accolades

Year Award ceremony Category Recipient Result citations / ref.
2016 29th Nikkan Sports Film Award Best Film Nominated
69th Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated
[10]
Chicago International Film Festival Best Feature (Gold Hugo) Hirokazu Kore-eda Nominated
[11]
2017 11th Asian Film Awards Best Cinematographer Yutaka Yamasaki Nominated
[12]

References

  1. ↑ "2016 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup". IndieWire. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  2. ↑ "Cannes 2016: Film Festival Unveils Official Selection Lineup". Variety. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  3. ↑ Schilling, Mark (28 December 2015). "Japan's Hirokazu Kore'eda Readies 'Still Deeper Than The Sea'". Variety. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "After the Storm" (PDF). Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "海よりもまだ深く" (in Japanese). Gaga. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  6. ↑ "Japan Box Office Report – 5/21~5/22". tokyohive. 6Theory Media, LLC. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "After the Storm (Umi yori mo mada fukaku) (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  8. ↑ "After the Storm Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  9. ↑ Young, Deborah. "'After the Storm' ('Umi yori mo mada fukaku'): Cannes Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
  10. ↑ "Festival de Cannes 2016 - Official Site / Live". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 25 December 2016
  11. ↑ "CIFF 2016: Preview of the 52nd Chicago International Film Festival". rogerebert.com. Retrieved 25 December 2016
  12. ↑ "11th Asian Film Awards – Nominees 2017". Asianfilmfestivals.com Retrieved 2 March 2017
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