Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Our Little Sister Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman February 16, 2021

Let's face it: 2020 was challenging at best and downright tragic at worst, and, if your corner of the world is anything like my corner of the world, even these last couple of weeks in 2021 haven't been all that fantastic due to an onslaught of frigid snow and ice, the likes of which we haven't seen in decades. With that said, if for any reason you need something of a "palette cleanser" to watch, there's probably no better choice than the slow and deliberate but ultimately sweetly heartwarming Our Little Sister. It's perhaps salient to note that Arrow Academy's UK release of a trio of films by the writer and director of this outing was called Family Values: Three Films by Hirokazu Kore-eda, because family is at the heart (in more ways than one) of this engaging piece, as is perhaps made evident by the film's very title, including its plural possessive pronoun. A lot of films and television stories have been built around so-called "blended families", but Our Little Sister actually begins with an extended family that has "blended" about as well as oil and water tend to.

Kore-eda's films are often models of quick, efficient exposition without long, convoluted stretches of dialogue, and that's certainly the case with the opening few minutes of Our Little Sister, where Kore-eda rapidly introduces three sisters, Sachi (Haruka Ayase), Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa) and Chika Kōda (Kaho Indō). Word has come from another town that their long estranged father, who divorced their mother many years ago and has remarried (twice, evidently) in the intervening years, has died. Almost as a throwaway, the three mention that if they attend the funeral, they may finally meet their younger half sister, the product of their father's second marriage.

While there's some minor skirmishing about who will travel to their father's service, all three in fact end up there, and they do meet their half sister, the young but seemingly wise beyond her years Suzu Asano (Suzu Hirose). Though this first meeting is inherently awkward, the three "original" sisters quickly discern that Suzu had been caring for their father in his waning days, not his third wife (Suzu's stepmother). Almost on a whim as the new quartet is parting ways at the train station, Sachi invites Suzu to come live with them in the expansive house that once belonged to the girls' grandparents. And that's really the entirety of the "set up" of Our Little Sister, which sees Suzu matriculating into a new environment, and all of the siblings (and/or half siblings, as the case may be) learning to navigate unfamiliar family relationships.

The end result is undeniably vignette driven, and it's comprised of ostensibly "small" moments, but as with many Kore-eda films, there's an emotional directness to the story that is really rather remarkable. What's also ingratiating about the film is how easily Kore-eda defines the four central characters, each of whom have their own unique identities and approaches toward both life in general and their "new" status as a family unit. There's a refreshing naturalness to all of the performances, with a really unforced, casual quality that shouldn't be mistaken for a lack of artistry.

Our Little Sister was a pretty substantial hit in its native Japan both in terms of box office and critical appraisal. It was the most nominated film at that year's Japanese version of the Academy Awards, winning both Best Picture and Best Director, and with all four leading performances nominated, and Hirose cited as the winner of Newcomer of the Year.

Our Little Sister Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Our Little Sister is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Artificial Eye with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Adding to the inherent "old school" charm of this piece is the fact that it was shot on film, though that said, the grain field can be so fine as to almost mimic contemporary digital capture at times. There's an appealingly organic look to this presentation nevertheless, and detail levels are typically excellent throughout. The palette isn't dramatic in any real sense, but looks natural if just slightly bland at times. One passing criticism of this presentation might be inconsistent contrast, with some outdoor material looking overly bright and almost fuzzy at times, and interior scenes suffering from a lack of shadow detail. On the whole, though, this is a very appealing transfer without any major compression issues.

Our Little Sister Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Our Little Sister features LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 tracks in the original Japanese. A glut of outdoor material with attendant ambient environmental effects and a rather lush, nicely melodic, score by Yôko Kanno provide the best engagement of the side and rear channels. Both relatively bustling urban environments and some almost forested material, as well as seaside scenes and the courtyard of the girls' own home often offer good, if subtle, surround activity. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Our Little Sister Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer (HD; 1:59)

Our Little Sister Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I was commiserating with a friend recently about everything we all have been through over the past year (plus, at this point), and he kind of hilariously texted me, "Breathe, grasshopper." If that sounds like good advice to you, too, and you're looking for a couple of hours of cinematic accompaniment to aid in that process, Our Little Sister may be a welcome respite from the vagaries of contemporary life. For me personally, it was beyond refreshing to see a film which doesn't overamp family relationships (despite some evident dysfunctions), and which doesn't ever resort to cheap plot mechanics or hysterical theatrical sensibilities. Technical merits are generally solid, and even without much in the way of supplements, Our Little Sister comes Recommended.