One of the year’s best films has arrived quietly, unnoticed by the awards-season cheerleaders. In its delicacy and complexity, it puts many films to shame and although it has taken two years to reach the U.K. it has been more than worth the wait. This is a deeply considered Japanese family drama about the powerful imperative of family unity but also about the inevitability of families finally disintegrating and allowing everyone a painful kind of freedom. A miracle is longed for by two brothers, around 9 or 10 yrs. Old. Their mum and dad have broken up: Nozomi has returned to live with her parents and taken a demeaning job in a supermarket. Meanwhile, the father Kenji stays in Osaka where he pursues the laid-back slacker life-style that so infuriated his wife. The difficult and upsetting thing about this arrangement is that the warring parents have taken a child each. Withdrawn, thoughtful Koichi has gone to his mother and grandparents; easygoing and smiley Ryunosuke has gone to live with his dad. As this supposed temporary arrangement hardens into permanence, Koichi hatches a strange and poignant plan. He has heard that two newly-built bullet trains create a supernatural energy at the point where they pass each other. If the boys can contrive to be together and make a wish at this focal point, their happiness can be restored. Part of the film’s wisdom resides in declining to take a view. There is a resolution of sorts. Koreeda has established himself as a supremely intelligent and valuable film maker. ‘I Wish’ is the moving and deeply satisfying work of a director who just keeps getting better.
Peter Bradshaw – The Guardian - February 2013
Hirokazu Koreeda’s new film ‘I Wish’ is a bittersweet tribute to the dreams and hopes of childhood. The story centres round two brothers who have been separated by their parents’ divorce. Koichi is with his mother and grandparents in a sleepy town. Ryun is 150 miles away with his father, a teenager in a man’s body, still clinging to his dreams of becoming a rockstar. Koichi wants nothing more than his family to reunite, while the more carefree Ryun is less keen as he still remembers their parents’ arguments. One day at school, Koichi learns of an urban legend claiming that anyone who witnesses two bullet trains crossing will have their wish fulfilled. Within the journey, as the boys and their friends get to that point, Koreeda allows so much warmth and wonderful moments, as they are perfectly fitted together to feel like authentic slices of life. The film has bags of pathos and insights about life and childhood that ring true. It is a humble masterpiece of a movie and Koreeda’s reputation continues to flourish.
Jean De Vaux – London Film Review - 2012
What is F-Rated?
The F-Rating is applied to all films which are:
- Directed by women
- Written by women
- Has one or more significant women on screen
If it qualifies with one of the above it gets the Bronze rating.
If it qualifies with two of the above it gets the Silver rating.
If it qualifies with all three of the above it gets the Gold rating.