Still Walking (2008)

A family gathers together for a commemorative ritual whose nature only gradually becomes clear.

Director:

Hirokazu Koreeda

Writers:

Hirokazu Koreeda (original story), Hirokazu Koreeda (screenplay)

Stars:

Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, You

11 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Hiroshi Abe	...	Ryota Yokoyama
Yui Natsukawa	...	Yukari Yokoyama
You	...	Chinami Kataoka
Kazuya Takahashi	...	Nobuo Kataoka
Shohei Tanaka	...	Atsushi Yokoyama
Kirin Kiki	...	Toshiko Yokoyama
Yoshio Harada	...	Kyohei Yokoyama
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ryôga Hayashi	...	Mutsu Kataoka
Haruko Katô
Hotaru Nomoto	...	Satsuki Kataoka
Susumu Terajima	...	Sushi deliverer

Storyline

Still Walking is a family drama about grown children visiting their elderly parents, which unfolds over one summer day. The aging parents have lived in the family home for decades. Their son and daughter return for a rare family reunion, bringing their own families with them. They have gathered to commemorate the tragic death of the eldest son, who drowned in an accident fifteen years ago. Although the roomy house is as comforting and unchanging as the mother's homemade feast, everyone in the family has subtly changed.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son relationship | father son relationship | family relationships | japan | japanese | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original Japanese title "Aruitemo aruitemo" ("no matter how much I walk") is a lyric from the 1968 song "Blue Light Yokohama", which is heard diegetically in the film.

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Quotes

Atsushi Yokoyama: There's nothing to watch on TV these days. They laugh so loud but nothing's funny.

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Soundtracks

Chores
Written by Keegan DeWitt
Performed by Keegan Dewitt

User Reviews

Pretty Wonderful Ozu Like Film

This film by writer/director Koreeda is a triumph of simplicity. Telling the story of a family who meet annually to mark the death of oldest son Junpei at the parent's house, you're struck by how well this flows. The acting is uniformly very good and the story never lags. The best thing I found about this film is how it could have been done without a script, if the actors were given this scenario. There is bitterness, pettiness and even selfishness here, all earmarks of the subject matter. I found the stylistic similarities to Ozu films to be very touching and not a bit off putting. When I watched this film in a theater in New York, people applauded at the end. This is about as real life as it gets. Its a universal theme, not a Japanese one. My hat is off to the writer/director, its a fine film.

Details

Official Sites:

Offcial Site

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

28 June 2008 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Still Walking

Filming Locations:

Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$20,298, 30 August 2009

Gross USA:

$167,047

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,511,120

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bandai Visual Company, Cinequanon, Eisei Gekijo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Mono (theatrical print)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1