Umi yori mo mada fukaku (2016)

After the death of his father, a private detective struggles to find child support money and reconnect with his son and ex-wife.

Director:

Hirokazu Koreeda

Writers:

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

Stars:

Hiroshi Abe, Yôko Maki, Satomi Kobayashi

2 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hiroshi Abe	...	Shinoda Ryôta
Yôko Maki	...	Shiraishi Kyôko
Satomi Kobayashi	...	Chinatsu Nakashima
Lily Franky
Sôsuke Ikematsu	...	Kento Machida
Yuri Nakamura
Kazuya Takahashi
Yukiyoshi Ozawa
Taiyô Yoshizawa	...	Shiraishi Shingo
Rie Minemura
Izumi Matsuoka
Kanji Furutachi
Daisuke Kuroda
Shôno Hayama	...	High school student
Ryôko Tateishi

Storyline

Dwelling on his past glory as a prize-winning author, Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) wastes the money he makes as a private detective on gambling and can barely pay child support. After the death of his father, his aging mother (Kirin Kiki) and beautiful ex-wife (Yoko Make) seem to be moving on with their lives. Renewing contact with his initially distrusting family, Ryota struggles to take back control of his existence and to find a lasting place in the life of his young son (Taiyo Yoshizawa) - until a stormy summer night offers them a chance to truly bond again.

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Plot Keywords:

mother son relationship | father son relationship | family relationships | death | private detective | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

21 May 2016 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Después de la tormenta

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$27,880, 17 March 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$267,773, 7 July 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aoi Promotion,Bandai Visual Company,Fuji Television Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is Hirokazu Koreeda's second film whose title is taken from a pop song lyric. The original Japanese title "Umi yori mo mada fukaku" ("Even deeper than the sea") is a line from Teresa Teng's Kayokyoku (Japanese oldie pop) song "Wakare no yokan," which is heard diegetically in the film. The title of Still Walking (2008), Koreeda's earlier film, is also taken from a lyric in the Kayokyoku song "Blue Light Yokohama".

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Quotes

Shinoda Yoshiko: I wonder why it is that men can't love the present. Either they just keep chasing whatever it is they've lost... or they keep dreaming beyond their reach.

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Connections

References A Late Quartet (2012)

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Soundtracks

String Quartet No. 14 In C-Sharp Minor, Op. 131
Music composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Juilliard String Quartet
Licensed by Sony Music Entertainment

User Reviews

A mother's one final push to save her son's marriage.

Remarkable consistency in delivering great dramas. If you are a drama film fan without the language barrier, then you must have seen at least a couple of films of Hirokazu Koreeda. Less than a year ago I saw his new arrival 'Our Little Sister'. Despite not overwhelmingly impressed with that, I won't say that I did not enjoy it. I always fascinated with the realistic portrayal, but the points should be executed so well than leaving empty scenes and dialogues, and calling it an art film. This one was much better. The first impression was okay, but after giving some time between my watch and writing this review, I kind of started to like it more.

First of all, this story was not new for me. I have already seen a few similar themed films from other parts of the world, particularly in Hollywood. But none of them were as serious as this one while narrating its tale. The storyline was simple, entirely focused on a family, fighting on stumbling marriage. It was a long introduction, particularly aimed at a father, like how he messed up in his life with gambling. But opening few minutes made him look like a man of example. Only in the following event you would know how deep his troubles are.

Other than his family, his work field was introduced to us. Being a writer, but for a few quick bucks working as a private eye on his part time, he misuses the opportunity with his loyal friend. Once the film reaches the half way mark, the focus shifts back to the family where the remaining story takes place. It was a stormy day and they all gather in his mother's apartment. This is where everything will be cleared out, whether the marriage will be saved or not. But the mother's one final push as it seems planned perfectly, would it deliver a result is what you should watch it to learn.

❝I wonder why it is that men can't love the present. Either they just keep chasing whatever it is they've lost, or they keep dreaming beyond their reach.❞

You can't doubt Hiroshi Abe's presence. He was perfect along with Kirin Kiki, whose a few films I've seen before, but only started to notice recently with her amazing performance from 'Sweet Bean'. The casting looked great, and the locations. I always like films about elderly people, especially to highlight their struggle. And most of the Japanese films I have seen on that concept were just like the way I wanted. Maybe because there are lots of aging people in Japan than anywhere else. Just kidding.

Obviously dialogues are very important for a film and there were many good lines spoken. At one point in the final stage, it flips towards sentiments. Very touching conversation, particularly coming from an old and experienced woman, which is definitely worth taking heed. This is a family film. Despite about a marriage crisis, there is no speculation, like twist and turns. Interesting enough with its plain narration. True to its title and when the title part comes into play, that's where it gets its peak. With its nearly two hours runtime, the pace was acceptable, but patience needed for those got trouble with long films.

This is the film about our life, that we can try for what we want to be, but achieving it not easy, not everybody would succeed that. Accepting the fact, as life my go on was the message. Incredible writing and direction. Feels like straight out of a book, it's an original screenplay though. Surely you don't want to miss this film, from this director. Because if you do, it is equal to failing to watch the latest Woody Allen film. Only he's a Japanese version. My final words are the director already made his masterpiece(s), but still it is near to one compared to the international cinemas. So I'm not saying it is a must, but surely worth a try.

7½/10