Shoplifters set to steal Chinese hearts
The latest winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival’s top honor, will be imported into Chinese mainland, according to domestic distributors.
Shoplifters, directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, made its Chinese debut at the 21st Shanghai International Film Festival, becoming the most sought-after among the 500 selected titles for festival release.
The tickets were sold out within minutes, pushing the ticket price up to nearly 2,000 yuan ($303) on Xianyu, an Alibaba-owned app where the public can sell secondhand or unwanted items.
Currently, the bittersweet fable about a group of plucky thieves has a score of 8.8 points out of ten on the popular review site Douban.com.
Kore-eda, alongside actress Matsuoka Mayus and teenage actor Jyo Kairi, showed up after one of the screenings on June 23, receiving overwhelming praise from local fans.
A stylish film — which again taps into Kore-eda’s favorite theme: family relations — Shoplifters
recounts the story of a lowerclass family of five residing in Tokyo. Without enough income, the three generations that live under the same roof survive by shoplifting, but a new addition to the household disrupts their routine.
In an earlier interview with the Chinese media, the 56-year-old director says that the film was inspired by his childhood, when most Japanese families lived together, from grandparents to grandchildren.
Nowadays, however, such living arrangements are rarely seen in Japan, explained Kore-eda.
Quite a surprise to domestic fans, Kore-eda revealed he has been influenced by renowned Chinese filmmakers such as Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige, and made friends with art house directors Hou Hsiao-hsien and Jia Zhangke.
“These directors helped me think of the type of film I wanted to make, and how to present the stories about my country and society through films,” Kore-eda recounted during a post-screening meeting in Shanghai.
Hailed as one of the best Japanese directors to shoot children or teen actors, Kore-eda reveals that he selected 11-year-old Kairi from more than 200 candidates, and encouraged him to perform as naturally as possible.
The movie, also written by Koreeda was purchased by the Beijingbased film company Road Pictures for its Chinese mainland screening in May, and will be distributed by Huayi Brothers.