After the Storm – Umi yori mo mada fukaku (2016)

Directed by: Hirokazu Koreeda | 118 minutes | drama | Actors: Hiroshi Abe, Yôko Maki, Satomi Kobayashi, Lily Franky, Sôsuke Ikematsu, Yuri Nakamura, Kazuya Takahashi, Yukiyoshi Ozawa, Taiyô Yoshizawa, Rie Minemura, Izumi Matsuoka, Kanji Furutachi, Daisuke Kuroda, Shôno Hayama

Lovers of calm and meditative cinema will undoubtedly have the name Hirokazu Koreeda etched in their memory. The Japanese master is rarely caught on a false note. Although he is not in the greatest form for his latest work ‘After the Storm’, it is again a fine piece of directing and is undisputedly the result of a filmmaker who has mastered the craft to perfection.

In line with Koreeda’s discography, his latest film can best be described as a small family drama. Father Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) does not know what to do with his status as an eternal promise, as a writer he has been living for years on his award-winning debut novel. After his wife has left him and he rarely sees his son, he gradually begins to lose control of his life. Gambling has a strong attraction to Ryota and thus he hardly manages to meet his alimony obligations. However, when Ryota is reunited with his broken family on a stormy summer night, there is a unique opportunity to bring everyone closer together.

‘After the Storm’ is an understated gem that is unmistakably the work of a filmmaker who knows how to leave his mark on every facet. Koreeda can best be described as the de facto successor to the famous great Yasujirô Ozu (1903 – 1963). Like Ozu, Koreeda has always had a tireless respect for his protagonists and an understanding of the fragile reality of human existence. Viewers who expect big plot twists will be disappointed. ‘After The Storm’ is more of a flat and rippling work than a major film in which catharsis is expressed. Nevertheless, the film manages to captivate from start to finish. The struggle of the characters is so realistic and universalistic in nature, that a viewer can’t help but feel empathy. Ryota’s struggle is thus so endearing that we are content to just witness it. All in all, it’s another film that proves why Koreeda is one of the great filmmakers of our time.