On a beautiful summer’s day in suburban Yokohama, 40-something picture-restorer Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) and his new wife visit his ageing parents (Harada Yoshio, Kiki Kirin) on the 15th anniversary of their eldest son’s tragic death.
Over a series of extended takes at the dinner table, writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda gradually and subtly reveals the resentments, irritations and frustrations simmering under the surface.
Koreeda’s big theme is the transience of all our lives, but he doesn’t make a meal of it.
Instead, he essays a moving restraint that evokes Ozu’s vintage domestic dramas – no mean feat.
