Shoplifters (2018)

A family of small-time crooks take in a child they find outside in the cold.

Director:

Hirokazu Koreeda

Writers:

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

Stars:

Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Kirin Kiki

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 23 wins & 74 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lily Franky	...	Osamu Shibata
Sakura Andô	...	Nobuyo Shibata
Kirin Kiki	...	Hatsue Shibata
Mayu Matsuoka	...	Aki Shibata
Jyo Kairi	...	Shota Shibata
Miyu Sasaki	...	Yuri Hojo
Sôsuke Ikematsu	...	4 ban-san
Yûki Yamada
Moemi Katayama
Daisuke Kuroda
Kazuaki Shimizu
Izumi Matsuoka
Katsuya Maiguma
Hajime Inoue
Aju Makita

Storyline

A Japanese couple stuck with part-time jobs and hence inadequate incomes avail themselves of the fruits of shoplifting to make ends meet. They are not alone in this behaviour. The younger and the older of the household are in on the act. The unusual routine is about to change from care-free and matter-of-fact to something more dramatic, however, as the couple open their doors to a beleaguered young girl. The reasons for the family's habit and their motivations come under the microscope.

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Plot Keywords:

family relationships | poverty | boy | husband wife relationship | theft | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes you choose your family.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official Site [Japan]

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

23 November 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Shoplifters

Filming Locations:

Japan

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$89,264, 25 November 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,010,191, 14 February 2019

Company Credits

Production Co:

AOI Promotion, Fuji Television Network, GAGA

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Hirokazu Koreeda said that he developed the story for Shoplifters when considering his earlier film Like Father, like Son, with the question "what makes a family"? He had been considering a film exploring this question for ten years before making Shoplifters. Koreeda described it as his "socially conscious" film. With this story, Koreeda said he did not want the perspective to be from only a few individual characters, but to capture "the family within the society", a "wide point of view" in the vein of his 2004 film Nobody Knows. He set his story in Tokyo and was also influenced by the Japanese Recession, including media reports of how people lived in poverty and of shoplifting. To research the project, Koreeda toured an orphanage and wrote a scene inspired by a girl there who read from Swimmy by Leo Lionni.

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Quotes

Aki Shibata: So Grandma wanted my parent's money but she didn't want me?

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Connections

Featured in 76th Golden Globe Awards (2019)

User Reviews

Not exactly enjoyable...but very thought-provoking.

Hirokazu Koreeda made one of my favorite Japanese films..."Like Father Like Son". The focus on the film was what actually constitutes a family....and like this film, "Shoplifters" challenges the traditional Japanese notion of what makes a family and the importance of genetics.

This movie is NOT pleasant...and has many harsh moments. So, please consider this when you decide whether or not to see the movie. It's NOT an easy film to watch and if you are depressed already consider seeing a comedy instead.

The story is about a group of people who are a pseudo-family. They are not related but live as a family...with a grandmother, parents, sister and children...or at least folks who act like these roles. Why are they living as a family? Well, for mutual profit...and the children help pay the bills by spending their days stealing...much like the children who worked for Fagan in "Oliver Twist". Where does all this and the unpleasantness go? See the film.

The message of this film is unusual...that criminals like you see in the story MIGHT be better at parenting than the biological parents. It also exposes a truth you don't easily see when you are in Japan...that there ARE folks who fall through the cracks, so to speak, and are not productive citizens. I just returned from three weeks in Japan and evidence of the homeless and criminality of any kind is something you will have to struggle to find. It creates a portrait that challenges the cultural norms...something which some folks might not appreciate. Overall, a well made but very unpleasant film that deals with topics such as child abuse and neglect...not exactly fun subjects but ones which should not be ignored.