Family Tie (Manbiki Kazoka) 2018

The plot of 'family tie', which snagged the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes festival, goes down in Tokyo where osama Shibat and his wife Nobuyo are scraping by in poverty. Even though osama pulls some odd jobs here and there and Nobuyo works for peanuts, the family mostly survives on grandma's Social Security. Because of that, osama and his son resort to petty theft every now and then, and during one of those runs, they stumble upon a little girl freezing in the cold. Even though he’s against taking her in at first, osama's wife quickly softens up toward the newcomer. Despite being broke and barely getting by through small-time crime, the family seems happy enough—until an unexpected incident unearths hidden secrets and puts their bonds to the test...

Another one from Koreeda. Honestly, it's his classic theme: the breakdown of traditional, institutional family ties under the weight of advanced capitalism. In this version, he pivots toward a positive portrayal of unconventional family setups, championing alternative ways to bond where the whole "blood relation" thing is basically just a mental construct. It’s presented straight—no fluff, no pretension—very tasteful American style. 😁

The mise-en-scène is killer, especially the interiors—the camera doesn't just dump a wide shot on you; instead, you piece the spaces together in your mind like origami. There's this cool layering of bodies and objects within the frame. Plus, the characters are psychologically deep and morally messy. One performance stands out as a contender for best actress of the year—Sakura Ando wipes away tears like she's just removing makeup.

If I had to nitpick, the only real misstep is in the final third during the police interrogation scenes. They feel stereotypical and a bit too staged. Other than that? Great film. 👍

The women in this film are just brilliant—every single performance was top-tier!

I really loved how natural everything felt; there’s this raw authenticity in how the characters act throughout most of the movie... honestly, I felt like I was right there in that cramped little house with them. It feels like such a quirky family, but you can really feel that deep sense of connection and how much they rely on each other.

a quick spoiler alert

Toward the end, I started feeling a bit uneasy because it felt like the steady, patient pacing from earlier was slipping away. It starts being way too "on the nose" and explicit—almost like it’s trying to pivot into a Hollywood thriller vibe. Except for the police scene, we have that moment where the mom neglects her kid, which feels unnecessary since the movie had already done such a beautiful job showing us that subtly through her actions. Why do we need such a basic, obvious scene now? 🙄

Where did you guys watch it?

I found a bad torrent, but there aren't even any English subtitles included.

Heading to the movies!

Ashley Grant66 said:a little spoiler here

...aside from that police bit, we've got that scene where we see how much the mom is neglecting her kid—which was already pretty clearly implied throughout the whole movie. why do we even need such a basic scene now? 🙄

Yeah, that scene is totally redundant. Koreeda edits his own stuff and should’ve been way more ruthless here. On the flip side, I actually dug how he cut the final shot. 😁

I’m putting my money on Dennis Martin6 here. I’m officially calling for everyone to watch this movie and for this thread to absolutely blow up. Don’t let an unfamiliar director's name scare you off; this is a masterfully crafted, timely piece of cinema that honestly needs to be at the top of your watchlist. I’d especially recommend it to anyone who connected with the themes in the "family tie" campaign ☕

Social realism is back on top at Cannes—following in the footsteps of Audiard's Dheepan and Loach's Daniel Blake. All three flicks basically tackle the breakdown of the traditional family tie and how people are forming these weird new post-family alliances just to survive. Koreeda touched on similar ground in Nobody Knows, which was based on that true story about abandoned kids navigating life in Tokyo. In this one, those old-school family ties feel almost artificial—they try to make it feel more "real" by using a news report style near the end, or through that meta-commentary where characters act like they're in a Brecht-style epic theater, explaining their life paths to the younger members of the "family." Honestly? The acting and the pacing were the best parts. It’s a solid, warm movie overall, though I think I preferred Nobody Knows because of those little hiccups. Still gonna hunt down more of Koreeda's work. 6.5/10

I caught this a few days ago, and man, it really stayed with me... It’s such a moving film. I found the first half particularly striking; the way the camera works is so subtle, almost hiding things rather than showing them, which forces you to piece together the fragments of information on your own. And that quiet, heavy climax with Shot (Kairi jō)... it just hits differently. I didn't mind how the police subplot unfolded, though I wasn't as fond of where the story went after that. There was this one beautiful detail involving Aki (May Matsuoka) peeking into that house that had already been abandoned... that specific thread of the story was what really hooked me. It felt like such a gentle way to close a chapter, especially compared to the harsh contrast of those conversations down at the precinct. Koreeda repeats the core point later on, which isn't necessarily a flaw in itself, but it felt slightly out of sync with the overall atmosphere. Still, the film leaves enough room for thought without forcing a conclusion on you. Some of the plot beats feel a bit flawed or maybe even a little unrealistic if you overthink them, but that doesn't take away from the experience at all. Definitely worth a watch 👍

Absolute madness of a movie. Pure cinematic poetry. 🙂

Absolutely brilliant... 👍

That moment where Nobuyo asks if having a kid automatically makes you a mother—that’s it right there. Same goes for when she hugs Lyn while burning those clothes she wore as Yuri, or that bathroom scene comparing scars. 🙏

Watching this now, it's obvious how much it was robbed at the Oscars—it's easily three levels above Rome. Such a shame I missed seeing it in theaters...

At the end of the month, an indie theater over in Seattle is running a massive Koreeda retrospective—including his latest flick. 👍

link

Dennis Martin6 said:At the end of the month, an independent theater over in Los Angeles is running a massive retrospective of Koreeda's work, which includes his latest film. 👍

link

Well, look at that!

I’ve always had a soft spot for those cramped, claustrophobic interiors. The script isn't flawless—for instance, there was no need for the kid to explicitly say he "wanted to be caught," and having him actually verbalize it felt a bit heavy-handed. We've already touched on those clichés here, but when a moment hits true, like when the boy calls out "Dad" on the bus, a movie like this stops feeling naive. It reminds me of that scene in Nobody Knows where the brother takes his sister to the airport just to watch the planes; it's a heavy moment, but even then, that film lacks the layers found in this one.

Chloe Morales said:An absolutely incredible film. 👍

That moment where Nobuyo asks, "Does having a child automatically make you a mother?"—that's the whole movie right there. Plus, the scene where she embraces Lyn while burning those clothes she wore as Yuri, and that quiet bathroom scene where they compare scars... just heavy stuff. 🙏

Truly a moving piece of cinema.

There are certain moments that really hit you right in the gut,
especially that one where she holds the little girl, and how she
talks about what love actually means.

The ending gave me some serious *Gone Baby Gone* vibes.
It’s a similar sort of conclusion—where everything gets settled and put back in its place,
justice is served according to the letter of the law, I suppose, but at what kind of cost?