Kore-eda Hirokazu

by Marc Yamada

Films like Shoplifters and After the Storm have made Kore-eda Hirokazu one of the most acclaimed auteurs working today. Critics often see Kore-eda as a director steeped in the Japanese tradition defined by Yasujirō Ozu. Marc Yamada, however, views Kore-eda’s work in relation to the same socioeconomic concerns explored by other contemporary international filmmakers. Yamada reveals that a type of excess, not the minimalism associated with traditional aesthetics, defines Kore-eda’s trademark humanism. This excess manifests in small moments when a desire for human connection exceeds the logic of the institutions and policies formed by the neoliberal values that have shaped modern-day Japan. As Yamada shows, Kore-eda captures the shared spaces formed by bodies that move, perform, and assemble in ways that express the humanistic impulse at the core of the filmmaker’s expanding worldwide appeal.

Genres: Film, Japan

176 pages, Hardcover

Published July 4, 2023

Reviews

[Till Raether · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very thoughtful, not afraid of theory, delves right into the political implications of Koreeda's work. At the same time, always close to evidence on the screen, blocking, editing, the composition of shots. Reading this made me realize how much I miss film criticism that has a larger framework than just vibes and shared nostalgia. And, best of all, the book made me appreciate Koreeda's work even more.

This has been a year when for a long time the only art that really mattered to me and that really reached me was Koreeda films. I watched all 16 of his feature films this year, some of them multiple times. I admit that I've watched Umimachi diary/Our Little Sister eight or nine times since June. Reading Yamada's book made me find so much more to appreciate in this and all other Koreeda films. Really a gift.