A regular contributor to Japanese films about family, award-winning director Hirokazu Kore-eda (I Wish, Nobody Knows, Still Walking) has made a pearler about parenthood and priorities in the pressure-cooker world of contemporary Japan. The film breathes new life into the tired switched-at-birth scenario. It's no melodrama, but a restrained, leisurely exploration of the nature of family, with a little miracle of a child actor in Keita Ninomiya.
Workaholic architect Ryota Nonomaya (Masaharu Fukuyama) expects a lot from his 6-year-old son, but leaves most of the child-rearing to wife Midori (Machiko Ono). Their ordered world is upturned when they discover Keita (Ninomiya) was swapped at birth. The couple tries to find a way forward, and deal with the ongoing practical and psychological difficulties.
Kore-eda never overplays his hand, but keeps the pace slow, the dialogue to a minimum, and the focus on the Nonomayas' reactions and emotions. The heart of the film is Ryota's struggle and personal growth, with his failings contrasting with the other father, who has the warmth, light-heartedness and time Ryota lacks, if less ambition and money. This throws up some key questions. Do blood ties matter most, or can some bonds never be broken? And are we living our lives according to what matters most?
Winner of the 2013 Cannes Jury Prize, Like Father, Like Son had me damp-eyed in the final moments. But at times it's also surprisingly funny and playful, and always a visual delight, all dappled light and cherry blossoms.
