Like Father, like Son (2013 film)

Like Father, Like Son
Film festival poster
Directed by	Hirokazu Kore-eda
Produced by	Kaoru Matsuzaki Hijiri Taguchi
Written by	Hirokazu Kore-eda
Starring	Masaharu Fukuyama
Music by	Shin Yasui
Cinematography	Mikiya Takimoto
Edited by	Hirokazu Kore-eda
Distributed by	Amuse Fuji Television Network GAGA Corporation
Release date	18 May 2013 (2013-05-18) (Cannes) 28 September 2013 (2013-09-28) (Japan)
Running time	120 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese
Box office	$31.1 million[1]

Like Father, Like Son (そして父になる, Soshite Chichi ni Naru) is a 2013 Japanese drama film edited, written, and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival,^[2] where it won the Jury Prize^[3] and a commendation from the Ecumenical Jury.^[4] It was shown at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival,^[5] and won both the Rogers People's Choice Award at the 2013 Vancouver International Film Festival^[6] and the Wuaki.TV Audience Award at the 2013 San Sebastián International Film Festival.^[7]

Plot

Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman who is focused so much on work that he neglects his wife, Midori, and son, Keita. Upon his return home one day, Midori tells him that the hospital where Keita was born needs to speak to them urgently, and Ryota senses trouble. After arriving at the hospital, the couple learns that their biological son Ryusei was switched with Keita after birth, and after DNA tests prove the error, they must now make a life-changing decision to either keep Keita, the boy they raised as their own son, or switch him for their biological son.

Ryota and Midori soon meet with the other couple, Yukari and Yudai Saiki, small town folks who lack the money and drive that Ryota possess, but have a better understanding of the importance of child and parent bonds. They share photos, and for the first time, Ryota and Midori see their biological son, Ryusei. After several meetings, they decide to switch children for one Saturday, which goes relatively well for both considering the tense situation. After several more meetings, they finally decide to exchange children. All four parents have difficulty accepting the loss of their previous sons, and the absence of the parents they used to know causes both boys to shut down emotionally, culminating in Ryusei running away from the Nonomiya's home and returning to the Saiki's. Ryota picks up Ryusei and brings him back home.

Ryota and Midori begin to bond with Ryusei, who is also warming up to them. However, while going through the photos on his camera, Ryota discovers a cache of photos of himself, mostly sleeping, that Keita took, and he breaks down crying. Ryota now understands the errors of his ways. The three return to the Saiki family, but Keita runs away from Ryota. While following him, Ryota apologizes to Keita, and the two make amends. The film ends with the two returning to the Saiki's, and both families entering the home.

Cast

• Masaharu Fukuyama as Ryota Nonomiya
• Yōko Maki as Yukari Saiki
• Jun Kunimura as Kazushi Kamiyama
• Machiko Ono as Midori Nonomiya
• Kirin Kiki as Riko Ishizeki
• Isao Natsuyagi as Ryosuke Nonomiya
• Lily Franky as Yudai Saiki
• Jun Fubuki as Nobuko Nonomiya
• Shôgen Hwang as Ryusei Saiki
• Keita Ninomiya as Keita Nonomiya

Critical response

Like Father, Like Son received mostly positive reviews. On the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, it holds an 87% score, with an average rating of 7.6/10, based on 93 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Sensitively written, smartly directed, and powerfully performed, Like Father, Like Son uses familiar-seeming elements to tell a thought-provoking story."^[8] Metacritic gives the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on reviews from 33 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[9] Andrew Chan of the Film Critics Circle of Australia writes, "Essentially, Like Father, Like Son is one of those rare films that keep the audience totally engaged, thoroughly profound, fully emoted and ultimately refreshing. In the scale of perfect cinema, this stands quite close."^[10] On the website of The American Spectator, Eve Tushnet wrote that the film "has some of the striking Kore-eda trademarks: the extraordinary acting from the children; the symmetrical framing and musical pacing; and the shifts between long shots in which all the people look tiny and child's-eye shots where all the people look huge."^[11]

Remake

DreamWorks Studios has acquired remake rights to Like Father, Like Son after the film caught the eye of Steven Spielberg at Cannes.^[12] Chris and Paul Weitz are slated to direct.^[13]

References

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• IFC Films (Sundance Selects) official site
• Like Father, Like Son on IMDb
• Like Father, Like Son at AllMovie
• Like Father, Like Son at Box Office Mojo
• Like Father, Like Son at Metacritic
• Like Father, Like Son at Rotten Tomatoes