The “family” at the center of “Shoplifters”
“SHOPLIFTERS” My rating: B+
121 minutes | MPAA rating: R
A study of an unconventional family and a stinging indictment of the modern Japanese economy, “Shoplifters” sneaks up quietly and leaves you heartbroken.
In the very first scene writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda (“After the Storm,” “Our Little Sister”) displays the film’s title in action. A father and son duo — Osamu (Lily Franky) and Shota (Jyo Kairi) — are cruising a grocery store. They appear absolutely unremarkable…Dad picks up various items, reads the labels; the curious kid explores the place.
Thing is, little Shota is stuffing his clothing with that evening’s meal. The pair return to their home — a rundown house overflowing with all manner of junk — and we meet the rest of the family: Mom Nobuyo (Ando Sakura), big sister Aki (Matsuoka Mayu) and Grandma (Kiki Kirin).
Given the sticky-fingered antics of the opening scene, one might assume that this is nothing more than a family of crooks. But both Hirokazu and Nobuyo have backbreaking jobs that never pay enough to make ends meet. The teenage Aki is a sex worker employed by a peep show. Grandma contributes her monthly pension check.
The Japanese labor scene, evidently, pretty much guarantees that each day a working stiff is a bit poorer than the day before. Thus the petty crime.
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