Cinecity Diary – 19th November – I Wish
Title: I WISH
Positives
Negatives
‘I Wish’ isn’t the instant classic that we might expect from the brilliant film maker, but there is definitely something here to savour with the naïveté and simplistic way in which these young brothers experience the world.
Japanese Director Hirokazu Kore-eda is famous for making films that focus on children and their reaction, or often non reaction, to the actions of adults. Even when his films do not feature children, the stories are always sympathetic to their worries and emotions, no matter how trivial. In his latest film, ‘I Wish’, Kore-eda tells the tale of two brothers Koichi and Ryunosuke, played by real life siblings Koki and Oshiro Maeda. The boys are separated geographically by the divorce of their parents. Kiochi lives with his mother and grandparents in a suburb shadowed by a rumbling volcano, and Ryu lives in Osaka with his rock star wannabe father.
The brothers hatch a plan via some very toy like phones to reconnect their family. You see the Bullet train will soon connect the two towns and when the two trains cross it creates a sort of sonic magic that grants all wishes. The boys set out on their mission to see the trains cross aided by some school friends. Essentially this is a road movie but with train tracks instead of tarmac.
The films greatest triumph, aside from the brilliant central performances from the young boys, is the calm and enigmatic tone that Kore-eda sets out. The film is soft, sombre and inviting. Interestingly there are moments that almost make this look like a documentary – when the children talk about their wishes with each other, the scenes are edited with jump cuts that make it feel like they are talking to an interviewer rather than each other.
The film does have some notable downsides though – The score used is way too obtrusive rather than blending into the background to help the story move along. There are some over long montages that add nothing to the story at all and just make the whole middle act feel flabby. At times the film feels over simplistic, but this is probably Kore-eda’s way of telling a tale from the eyes of a child.
‘I Wish’ isn’t the instant classic that we might expect from the brilliant film maker, but there is definitely something here to savour with the naïveté and simplistic way in which these young brothers experience the world.
Scott Lawlor
Another one I’m looking forward to. Koreeda does have a knack for directing young actors.
Thanks for the comment BT. the Brothers are amazing in this and the film is a sweet one, maybe a little too long in places, but still worth a watch.
I’m ashamed to say that I’m not well-versed in Asian cinema at all. Glad to hear this is a good one, matey. You’ve been doing a great job covering CineCity!
Thansk Ruth, although I havent been as good as I should have been