This subtly powerful family drama-turned-road movie follows two young brothers living apart who desire nothing more than to be reunited. Following their parents’ separation, Koichi lives with their mother and Ryunosuke with their father. Played by real-life brothers Koki and Ohshiro Maeda, the boys recruit a group of friends to accompany them on an expedition to find the point where two passing trains will meet, in hopes of orchestrating a miracle. Kore-eda returns to his perennial themes of childhood yearning, evoking the transformative and world-making bond between siblings with his signature mode of gentle yet unflinching realism.


Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters opens on November 23. Get tickets here.