7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
12-year-old Koichi, who has been separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents' divorce, begins to believe that the new bullet train service will create a miracle when the first trains pass each other at top speed.
Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Masami Nagasawa, Yoshio Harada, Nene Otsuka, Joe OdagiriForeign | 100% |
Drama | 62% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: LPCM 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz/16-bit).
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (A, C untested)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
Note: This version of the film is available as part of Family Values: Three Films by Hirokazu Kore-eda.
The good folks at Arrow Video and/or Arrow Academy may be thanking their lucky stars that Hirokazu Kore-eda has just been feted with the Palme
d’Or at this year’s Cannes Festival (for Shoplifters), an award that may raise the profile of their so-called Family Values set of
three
Kore-eda films from the past several years. The timing for Kore-eda's award may seem especially fortuitous since this set, while not brand new,
seems to be a repackaging (with some additional non-disc swag like a rather nicely done booklet) of three standalone releases that Arrow brought
out
not all that long ago (I Wish, Like Father, Like Son, After the Storm). As is discussed in some of the supplements included on this release, Kore-eda’s long
history in Japan’s television industry tends to give his feature films a smaller scale, more intimate ambience, and it probably can’t be denied that at
least some plot points in the three films in this set might be perfectly at home in what might be termed a “Lifetime Channel Very Special
Film Made for Television” category. That said, Kore-eda is a remarkably facile director with children, and all three films explore a kind of childlike
perspective that in some ways tended to remind me of the work of Robert Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird, The
Other), at least in terms of Mulligan’s ability to capture an honest depiction of how kids see the world around them, if not in any pure
content way. All three films delve into family dysfunctions in sometimes visceral ways, though often in an emotionally tamped down ambience
that seems to be perfectly Japanese, where deep emotions are masked out what may be a fear that some kind of “communal” peace (however
illusory) might be disturbed.
All three films in the Family Values set are presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Academy with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in 1.85:1. I
have to say I was genuinely surprised to not find any information about the transfers in any of the material accompanying this release, a first (or at
least what I'm recalling as a first) for an Arrow release. I even looked at the back covers of the previously released standalone versions (linked to
above in the first paragraph of the review), and kind of interestingly, none of those seemed to have any information about the transfers on
them, either. With that said, all three of these films share certain similarities (including the fact that all were shot on 35mm and finished at 2K DIs,
according to the IMDb), so I'll speak in generalities before moving on to each film in particular.
From a damage or age related issue perspective, these are absolutely flawless transfers, no doubt due at least in part to their relatively recent
vintage.
Fine grain also looks natural on all three transfers for the most part (exceptions are noted below). My one slight qualm with all three of these is that
they look just slightly bright at times to my
eyes,
something that tends to make contrast a bit anemic, especially in what are already more brightly lit moments. That said, palettes, while not
especially
vivid in any of the three films, look decently saturated, though as I'll discuss in the following individual comments, things can look a bit odd at times
in
terms of a "natural" appearance.
I Wish boasts a generally very warm looking palette, one that emphasizes blues and yellows a lot of the time and which looks fresh and
natural almost all of the time. Fine detail is often quite striking as well, as in some of the scenes featuring volcanic ash being dusted off of various
household items. Diffused or at times effulgent backlighting tends to give some shots a slightly soft appearance, and there are selected moments,
as at around 1:36:40, where increased haziness or even a slightly noisy look to the grain can crop up. A few interior scenes look just slightly orange
at times. There's one kind of odd recurrent anomaly that tends to afflict a number of outdoor scenes that made me wonder if there was a
malfunctioning or at least problematic lens in use. At a few moments, there is what almost looks like "ghosting" or even edge enhancement halos
that show up in just a section of the frame. Pay attention to the brim of the green cap on the head of the gentleman on the left at around 20:58, or
the power lines above the boys just a few minutes later at around 23:55 and you can see this kind of odd phenomenon. It's transitory and not
overly distracting, but it did stick out to my eyes on at least a couple of occasions.
All three of the films in this set offer either DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or LPCM 2.0 tracks. The LPCM 2.0 tracks on both Like Father, Like Son and After the Storm sounded like they had slightly heftier amplitude than their respective surround tracks, something that I Wish didn't. All three films feature rather winning scores, with I Wish offering both guitars (an allusion to the kids' rock star wannabe Dad, I'm assuming) as well as some really breezy "Stephane Grappelli"-esque violin cues. Like Father, Like Son has some very sweet solo piano, again alluding to some father-son activities. After the Storm has a more pop oriented score. The surround tracks on all three films benefit from good placement of ambient environmental sounds, and dialogue on all three films comes through very cleanly and clearly.
- Teaser (HD; 00:46)
- Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:54)
- TV Trailers (HD; 00:48)
I Wish suggests that even if wishes don't (completely) come true, that hope springs eternal and that the bonds between family members, even estranged family members, can never be totally dissolved. This is an incredibly sweet film with a rather considerable emotional punch despite its traditional Japanese restraint. Highly recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
そして父になる / Soshite chichi ni naru
2013
海よりもまだ深く/ Umi yori mo mada fukaku / Arrow Academy
2016
海街diary / Umimachi Diary
2015
幻の光 / Maboroshi no hikari
1995
誰も知らない / Dare mo shiranai
2004
歩いても 歩いても / Aruitemo aruitemo
2008
Tystnaden
1963
2016
ライク・サムワン・イン・ラブ / Raiku Samuwan In Rabu
2012
รักที่ขอนแก่น / Rak ti Khon Kaen
2015
万引き家族 / Manbiki kazoku
2018
După dealuri
2012
Изгнание / Izgnanie
2007
菊次郎の夏 / Kikujirô no natsu
1999
পথের পাঁচালী / Song of the Little Road
1955
おくりびと / Okuribito
2008
Nabarvené ptáce / Montage Pictures
2019
Jagten / Arrow Academy
2012
あん / An | Masters of Cinema
2015
2013