Drama
SHOPLIFTERS
Wednesday, 30 January 2019
10.00am, 2.30pm, 5.00pm & 7.15pm
Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda
Japan (subtitles)
Crime/Drama
121 mins
M
A Japanese couple, stuck with part-time jobs and hence inadequate incomes, avail themselves of the fruits of shoplifting to make ends meet. They are not alone in this behaviour. The young and the old of the household are also in on the act. The unusual routine is about to change from care-free and matter-of-fact to something more dramatic, however, as the couple open their doors to a beleaguered teenager. The reasons for the family and friends’ habit and their motivations come under the microscope.
Shoplifters is the official submission of Japan for the ‘Best Foreign Language Film’ category of the 91st Academy Awards in 2019.
REVIEWS:
“A compact masterpiece about a scruffy family that isn’t what it seems, and love that’s the real thing..” – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal
“Who better than Kore-eda, a director who whispers instead of shouts, is able to capture contradictions and issues though such a subtle, unforced style of storytelling?”.. – Deborah Young, Hollywood Reporter
“This is Kore-eda at his most subtle, nuanced and morally inquiring.” –Stephanie Bunbury, The Age.