A simple story full of depth
After The Storm (M, 118 mins), Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, ★★★★★
If you have seen Our Little Sister, or the sublime Like Father, Like Son, then all I need to tell you is that Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film is called After The Storm and that it is playing in select cinemas from this week.
But, if you are that person, then chances are you saw After The Storm at last year’s New Zealand Film Festival anyway.
So, for the rest of you, Hirokazu Kore-eda is a Japanese filmmaker who specialises in minimal, achingly empathetic and insightful slices of family drama. He writes, directs and edits his films with a clear-eyed precision that looks simple, but which will knock you out of your seat with the complexity, depth and nuance of the emotional landscape. The comparisons to Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story) are probably valid.
After The Storm was filmed in six weeks during the production of Our Little Sister, which took place over a full year.
The film follows Kore-eda regular Hiroshi Abe as a struggling private detective and gambling addict attempting to reconnect with his ageing mother, his ex-wife and their son.
Eventually we arrive at a night, a storm and a life-altering conversation. It’s simple stuff, but filmed and assembled with such wit, economy and precision that nothing in the film is allowed to detract from the absolute perfection of the writing and the performances. Kore-eda’s films routinely linger in my memory for months after watching them. After The Storm is no exception. – Graeme Tuckett