Powerful

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

While not yet proving to be quite as prolific as the great masters Ozu, Mizoguchi and Naruse at their most busy, there is becoming something routine about another year and another trip to Cannes for perhaps Japan's best current working director, Kore-eda Hirokazu. There is a clear progression from his bleakly haunting first three films, 'Maborosi', 'After Life' and 'Distance' to a more routine playground of 'shomin-geki' (lower-middle class family drama), moving from more complex ennui to a more mainstream exploration of various unusual family scenarios. 'After the Storm', the most recent lover he took with him to southern France, certainly feels like a follow-on from his previous works 'Still Walking' and 'Kiseki'. Here, the family get-together of 'Still Walking' is replaced by the impromptu night-in to weather the storm, with Kirin Kiki and Hiroshi Abe reprising their roles as mother and prodigal son; and 'Kiseki's' Koichi is replaced by Abe's Ryota: a grown man who can't move on from his divorce from his wife and son, Kyoko and Shingo. With the cast also featuring other now established Kore-eda 'family' members, in the form of Lili Franky and Yoko Maki, this could all start to feel a little too familiar. Though he would not be the first great director to embrace this approach.Suitably unshaven, Ryota is a recent divorcée, struggling to come to terms with his new position. A former novelist, enjoying some minor success with his novel 'The Empty Table' fifteen years previous, he now finds himself working as a private detective, betraying the trust of both his boss and untrustworthy clients; gambling heavily, living alone. Not only losing his wife and son, he has lost the respect of others, and even himself. His ex-wife can't rely on him to pay child support; his sister believes he is only after their mother's meagre funds; and his boss knows he is moonlighting behind his back. The only ones showing any positivity towards him are his mother, in the form of witty banter about how useless he has become, much like his father; his work colleague, Kento, who begrudgingly lends him money to gamble away; and his son, whose indifference to him is as good as he can get. His attempts to win Kyoko and Shingo back, in his sly, underhand manner, therefore, are never going to work. By purposefully taking Shingo to his mother's small apartment as a typhoon approaches , he hopes to lure Kyoko to spend the night as a family with his deceit, unable to grasp that it is acts such as this that pushed her away in the first place. He is a man above his station, and in pursuing his second novel, that everyone can see will never happen, turns down lucrative offers to write more mainstream manga, as he believes it compromises his artistic integrity which died long ago. His profession now to watch others, Ryota has become completely unaware of himself and the impact of his actions on those around him. Playing the victim, he is never the bad guy. Comparisons are often made to his father, harking to Kore-eda's previous title 'Like Father, Like Son'. Kyoko can see the future she would be offered with Ryota, in the form of her former mother-in-law's cramped apartment where she is forced to spend the night: As an elderly woman, left alone and near penniless by her husband's rash actions. Whereas Ryota can only see the past. Eventually realising that he is only deceiving himself (urgh, I just wrote that!), as the storm passes and the fresh morning awakes, he starts to come to terms with this. This may all seem quite obvious and light, wondering if Kore-eda has lost a bit of spark, getting too comfortable in his work. And indeed, you may wish for a more dark perspective as in his earlier days. But the realism holds, and the wit of the script raises a smile. The cast perform their roles in a way that is believable, avoiding soap opera clichés and social stereotypes; and the stark soundtrack steers it away from melodrama.Yes, this is more of the same, but in the same way that Ozu remade his own 'Late Spring' with 'An Autumn Afternoon'. The formula is working, and with enough bite to keep it away from the daytime TV nicety, ensuring that the familial isn't too familiar just yet. politic1983.blogspot.co.uk

In modern times, foreign language movies have made a huge and long lasting impression on cinema and have pulled many viewers towards them. With movies such as Children of Heaven, A Separation, The lives of others and Incendies, foreign cinema has contributed a lot to the film industry. Iranian and Japanese cinemas, in specific, have amazed us with some masterpieces in the past. After the Storm is one of many Japanese movies which not only have entertained us with its solid screenplay but have also raised a lot of questions to put our minds to some exercise. After the Storm, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, circles around a private detective who loses his money in gambling and then struggles to pay child support money. He undergoes several problems and issues to reconnect with his son and ex-wife. Hirokazu have made some very good movies in the past such as Nobody Knows and After Life but After the Storm is the best of his work. The movie doesn't include any major plot twist rather it's entirely based on family dynamics and it's a domestic melodrama, filled with emotional speeches and ferocious acts of parental selfishness. Ryota, the lead character, works for a private detective agency and has a son but after the death of his father he seems to have lost the control of his life, wastes all his money on racing tracks and ends up as same kind of father as the man who raised him. His ex-wife Kyoke is also shown as a confused individual who is worried about her future prospects and Shingo, his son, seems to be on the same path of uncertainty and struggle as his parents. The best thing I have extracted from the movie is the idea that there are so many things of great value in our life but we never realize their true significance till we lost them. It also reminds us that nothing is more important than the moment you are currently in. Koreeda's After the Storm is slow-paced, sad and apologetic. The movie questions one of the basic human behavior that how to move forward amidst all the frustration and loss and leaves it to the viewers to find their own answer. The character of Ryota tells us a lot about how time can change so drastically and how things go wrong for you all at once. A former prize winner for his novel ends up as a failure to his own self, to his son and his family. But life isn't about giving up rather it's about standing up every time it tries to keep you down. And Ryota tries to overcome his loss although he falls short every time. The movie tells us that even if we lose control of our lives we can take it back, it's all about our attitude towards our loss. Life demands a lot from us, sometimes it tests our resolution and calls for our persistence because we can try for what we want, but achieving it not easy as it is exhibited by Hirokazu through his masterpiece. After the Storm is about the intimate struggle of moving forward and brings forward the lesson of keep on trying, no matter how hard the life is, because you can only achieve when you're ready to endure the pain beyond your limits. What is lost can be won again, it's only the matter of belief and grit. Screenplay of After the Storm is beyond any admiration as Hirozaku has beautifully portrayed the life of a common man and have magnificently summed up the struggle of moving forward in this life. The story doesn't have any loopholes in it, it connects the characters with such perfection that viewers never lose the plot. It binds its viewers with such strong force that make them able to both enjoy the movie and listen to the truth the movie speaks. Although the direction of the movie is flawless but its screenplay has come out as the most promising production element. Above discussion can be concluded with the biggest truth we learn from the movie, life is less about getting what you want than it is wanting what you get.

Remarkable consistency in delivering great dramas. If you are a drama film fan without the language barrier, then you must have seen at least a couple of films of Hirokazu Koreeda. Less than a year ago I saw his new arrival 'Our Little Sister'. Despite not overwhelmingly impressed with that, I won't say that I did not enjoy it. I always fascinated with the realistic portrayal, but the points should be executed so well than leaving empty scenes and dialogues, and calling it an art film. This one was much better. The first impression was okay, but after giving some time between my watch and writing this review, I kind of started to like it more.First of all, this story was not new for me. I have already seen a few similar themed films from other parts of the world, particularly in Hollywood. But none of them were as serious as this one while narrating its tale. The storyline was simple, entirely focused on a family, fighting on stumbling marriage. It was a long introduction, particularly aimed at a father, like how he messed up in his life with gambling. But opening few minutes made him look like a man of example. Only in the following event you would know how deep his troubles are.Other than his family, his work field was introduced to us. Being a writer, but for a few quick bucks working as a private eye on his part time, he misuses the opportunity with his loyal friend. Once the film reaches the half way mark, the focus shifts back to the family where the remaining story takes place. It was a stormy day and they all gather in his mother's apartment. This is where everything will be cleared out, whether the marriage will be saved or not. But the mother's one final push as it seems planned perfectly, would it deliver a result is what you should watch it to learn.❝I wonder why it is that men can't love the present. Either they just keep chasing whatever it is they've lost, or they keep dreaming beyond their reach.❞You can't doubt Hiroshi Abe's presence. He was perfect along with Kirin Kiki, whose a few films I've seen before, but only started to notice recently with her amazing performance from 'Sweet Bean'. The casting looked great, and the locations. I always like films about elderly people, especially to highlight their struggle. And most of the Japanese films I have seen on that concept were just like the way I wanted. Maybe because there are lots of aging people in Japan than anywhere else. Just kidding.Obviously dialogues are very important for a film and there were many good lines spoken. At one point in the final stage, it flips towards sentiments. Very touching conversation, particularly coming from an old and experienced woman, which is definitely worth taking heed. This is a family film. Despite about a marriage crisis, there is no speculation, like twist and turns. Interesting enough with its plain narration. True to its title and when the title part comes into play, that's where it gets its peak. With its nearly two hours runtime, the pace was acceptable, but patience needed for those got trouble with long films.This is the film about our life, that we can try for what we want to be, but achieving it not easy, not everybody would succeed that. Accepting the fact, as life my go on was the message. Incredible writing and direction. Feels like straight out of a book, it's an original screenplay though. Surely you don't want to miss this film, from this director. Because if you do, it is equal to failing to watch the latest Woody Allen film. Only he's a Japanese version. My final words are the director already made his masterpiece(s), but still it is near to one compared to the international cinemas. So I'm not saying it is a must, but surely worth a try.7½/10

I watched this movie yesterday at the Bengaluru International Film Festival. I walked into the movie with absolutely no expectations, the movie started off on a good note. I was really impressed with the way the characters of the movie have been crafted. Each of them very relevant to middle class families struggling to meet their ends. I absolutely loved the humour and I so badly wished I knew Japanese. It is a different thing to get the gist out of subtitles. The people in the cinema hall enjoyed at the subtle moments between the characters. The actor playing the hero was a class apart. He was very lovable and I could feel myself experience the troubles and tribulations along with him. The kid has played the role very sincerely. Overall I would definitely recommend the movie to any fan of Asian cinema. Kudos !!