This review may contain spoilers
Does blood relation make you actually a family?
Shoplifters is one of those movies that deserve a spot on every must-watch movie list; it's a great example of how Japan is the pioneer of cinematic storytelling. This movie took me through so many emotions and really defined the meaning of family.
The film addresses many societal issues, but it presents them in such a way that they exist in a grey area. It’s difficult to label the characters’ actions as entirely wrong, yet they can’t be deemed right either. For instance, when they decide to keep the little girl It’s saying it’s not a kidnapping if you don’t ask for a ransom. It’s similar logic to how Osamu justifies stealing to Shota, telling him it’s OK if it’s not someone else’s property and that items in a store don’t belong to anyone yet.
Though the characters in the movie are not blood-related and each one has their own backstory of hiding, lying, damaged and frightened, they create a warm, cozy family, making the best of things from day to day. The dynamic between them is so warm and beautiful that it makes you wonder if you could choose your family, could you actually be happy? Does blood relation make you actually a family? This is exactly the theme in this movie. As a viewers, we witness their crimes but also see the genuine love they share as a family, which makes it challenging to condemn them. Perhaps, this is what the movie wants us to notice: that sometimes certain things are very much a grey area and it is difficult to differentiate the right from wrong!
Also, the movie dives deep into a part of society we don’t see often: the marginalized community, the poor who don’t have enough money to even eat, yet they have still have so much warmth and love for each other.
"Shoplifter" is a delicate work painted with so many details, moments, smiles, and is deeply intelligent.In term of acting, the actors did a phenomenal job in portraying these characters, giving them so much depth in their humanistic storytelling, and I have strong admiration towards Sakura Ando; she delivered such a strong performance in this role, with so much depth and layers. This is one of those movies that you will never see and nobody would be able to recreate. The last few minutes of the movie still haunt me; it left me with a profound sense of loss as if I myself lost a family I found.
The film addresses many societal issues, but it presents them in such a way that they exist in a grey area. It’s difficult to label the characters’ actions as entirely wrong, yet they can’t be deemed right either. For instance, when they decide to keep the little girl It’s saying it’s not a kidnapping if you don’t ask for a ransom. It’s similar logic to how Osamu justifies stealing to Shota, telling him it’s OK if it’s not someone else’s property and that items in a store don’t belong to anyone yet.
Though the characters in the movie are not blood-related and each one has their own backstory of hiding, lying, damaged and frightened, they create a warm, cozy family, making the best of things from day to day. The dynamic between them is so warm and beautiful that it makes you wonder if you could choose your family, could you actually be happy? Does blood relation make you actually a family? This is exactly the theme in this movie. As a viewers, we witness their crimes but also see the genuine love they share as a family, which makes it challenging to condemn them. Perhaps, this is what the movie wants us to notice: that sometimes certain things are very much a grey area and it is difficult to differentiate the right from wrong!
Also, the movie dives deep into a part of society we don’t see often: the marginalized community, the poor who don’t have enough money to even eat, yet they have still have so much warmth and love for each other.
"Shoplifter" is a delicate work painted with so many details, moments, smiles, and is deeply intelligent.In term of acting, the actors did a phenomenal job in portraying these characters, giving them so much depth in their humanistic storytelling, and I have strong admiration towards Sakura Ando; she delivered such a strong performance in this role, with so much depth and layers. This is one of those movies that you will never see and nobody would be able to recreate. The last few minutes of the movie still haunt me; it left me with a profound sense of loss as if I myself lost a family I found.
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