• 万引き家族 (Shoplifters)

6/15/18 (Fri), Tokyo

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The family at the heart of Shoplifters, directed (and conceived and written and edited) by Hirokazu Koreeda, does not appear to let dire poverty get it down. The dad is a construction worker, the mom toils at a huge laundry and the daughter works at a dodgy club giving guys thrills through a one-way mirror, and they only manage to get by with the help of the grandmother’s pension from her late husband. Still, their home is full of activity and warmth, and it feels like a loving family. But all is not as it seems. First, it becomes clear that this is not a traditional family – we learn that the “son” was a street kid taken in by the father, and the “daughter” the offspring of the grandma’s late husband and his mistress (i.e., not related in any way to grandma). The father and mother, unable to have children of their own, have scraped together kids as they could in hopes of somehow creating a family for themselves. They are careful to remain out of sight of the authorities in fear of exposure, living in cramped and messy quarters, and the kids are under orders not to speak of their relationship.

Also, the family members are not entirely square in finding money to get by. The mother pilfers money from the laundry, the grandma secretly squeezes cash out of the mistress’ kids for taking care of their daughter (who knows nothing of the shakedown), and most notably, the father and son steal. Lots. They have developed a routine in which the son, around 12, takes from the stores as the father distracts the staff, removing household items for resale or their own use. The father has taught him that products on store shelves are fair game since they don’t belong to anyone before they are sold, allowing the uneasy kid, who’s known no other life, to maintain a semblance of morality. The boy apologizes to the family at one point for forgetting to filch shampoo, which he makes up for on his next outing.

Things change when the father and son come across a sad-looking girl of around 7 who appears to have been neglected by her parents. They take her home out of pity, shoplifting her in a way (her parents don’t even report her missing at first). The mother is initially reluctant to accept her, wondering how they’ll feed another mouth, but changes her mind when the girl’s burn marks and bed-wetting convince her that all is not well. The boy gets along with his new “sibling” but begins to feel ashamed as her presence makes him more aware of his actions. At one point, the children, having swiped something from a small shop, are stopped by the shopkeeper, who passes sweets to the boy and asks him not to drag the innocent little girl into this – indicating that he’s been aware of what’s been going on all along.

The father blithely dismisses this when told by the boy, but the latter remains troubled. The family’s precarious situation is highlighted by the grandma’s death, when, unwilling to expose themselves (and give up the pension), they bury her in the house. The final straw for the boy comes when the girl, emulating her “brother” much against his wishes, is about to be discovered stealing at a supermarket. Unable to bear her getting caught, he distracts the staff by blatantly grabbing a bag of oranges and running out, leading to a chase that results in his fall from a bridge and hospitalization. The father, aware that the police will soon be investigating, tries to sneak the family away in the middle of the night, but the police are waiting.

The ensuing inquiry brings the family’s tacked-together setup to light, and all quickly unravels. The mother is imprisoned after confessing to the improper disposal of the dead body (a feint to prevent investigation of her husband, who had helped her murder her previous hubby in a much more serious crime), the daughter learns of the ongoing ties with her birth parents, the small girl is returned to her abusive parents, and the boy is placed in an orphanage and sent to school. Upset when he learns that the panicky father intended to desert him, he decides to move on. The mother reveals to the boy from behind bars the grubby circumstances in which he was found (he was taken evidently from a parked car at night), telling him that this may help in locating his real parents. We see the boy at end on a bus leaving his would-be father, who chases after the bus desperately crying the boy’s name. The boy finally looks back thoughtfully as the bus carries him away.

The story is not linear and can seem rambling at first. The movie is more of a character study than a straight plot, growing increasingly interesting as the pieces fall into place regarding relationships and feelings. I had assumed poverty and social injustice would be the main theme, but the film was more a study of the nature of family. It recalled family issues in Koreeda’s Like Father, Like Son, where kids accidentally switched at birth were returned to their birth parents after six years of family ties. That was marred by a questionable premise and a strained device contrasting a stereotypical strict upper-class father with a poor but happy working-class father. This time, the parents are unable to have children of their own, and the father’s doting on his not-quite-adopted kids, who he clearly adores, reflects a longing for yet another privilege that fate has denied him. He tells his wife after a rare quickie that family for him is from the heart, not the groin, and we believe him. The ties that bind were more deeply explored here than in the earlier film, and the outcome was not as expected.

The pacing was masterful as always with Koreeda, with no hurry to get to the next scene and many long still shots. The ensemble acting is first rate: natural, spontaneous, effortless. Koreeda is always a wonder with kids, and that remains true here. The boy (Kairi Jo) is just about perfect in his subtle skepticism of his lifestyle, making his final decision a natural outgrowth of events. The adults were all splendidly cast. Best of all was an outstanding Sakura Ando as the wife, especially the astonishing confession scene to the police and her speech to the boy from prison. It’s the best performance I’ve seen in a Japanese film in years. Lily Franky (back from a similar role in Like Father) is indispensable as the father loving his children as best he knows how, showing them magic tricks and swimming and clearly relishing the role as father for kids that he was unable to have. His unfulfilled desire to have the boy recognize him and the girl as dad and sister is heartbreaking. Kiki Kirin and Matsuoka Mayu also do fine work as the grandma and daughter. A moving, thought-provoking film by a modern master.