Still Walking (2009)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:34
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.3/10
Consensus: Hirokazu Kore-eda's film may seem modest at first, but this family drama casts a delicate, entrancing spell.
Synopsis: Ryota is the 40-year-old son of the Yokoyama family. He has recently married a widow with a ten-year-old son from her previous marriage, who are joining him on a rare visit home. Only his elderly... [More]
Starring: Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, Kazuya Takahashi, Shohei Tanaka
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Reviews for Still Walking
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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[L]ike a big, deep, relaxing cinematic breath of fresh air and wonder and loveliness... Full Review |
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3/4 |
Still Walking strikes an extraordinary balance between the moment-to-moment pleasure of life and the inevitable regret that accompanies time's passing. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
Still Walking is a miniaturist's masterpiece, the ebb and flow of familial love distilled to its essence. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
This masterful family drama by Japanese writer- director Hirokazu Kore-eda commences on a deceptively tranquil note, lightly spiced with a needling humor. Full Review |
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4/4 |
Pitch-perfect and profoundly moving... Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
The tone is perfect; this is one of those rare films that, despite being rooted firmly in the world around us, is utterly absorbing and capable of reducing the immediacies of life into abstract thoughts in the back of one's mind. Full Review |
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Kore-eda's scenarios have always tended toward quiet yet troubling contemplation, but Still Walking is probably his most subdued yet, with unmistakable echoes of the great Yasujiro Ozu. Full Review |
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4/4 |
As opposed to Ozu’s haiku-like dialogue, Koreeda’s exchanges unfold with an everyday homeliness; he subtly reveals seething resentments and regrets while never losing sight of his characters’ fallible humanity. Full Review |
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A- |
...seems more French than Japanese with its chaotic gathering and multi-layered and constant dialogue. Full Review |
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B- |
Though [Koreeda] has made a film of droll and dry observational precision, its emotional minimalism is almost fetishistic -- and, by the end, a tad frustrating. Full Review |
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4.5/5 |
It will strongly move you, but you won't be able to say exactly why. It illuminates 24 hours in the life of a Japanese family, and though it may appear that not much is happening, by the end everything is revealed. Full Review |
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4/4 |
The director has said that, though the story was inspired by the deaths of his parents, he hoped to make a film "brimming with life." He's succeeded. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
The presentation of these elements is never less than patient, tranquil and thoughtful. Full Review |
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One fears to blink, because some essential element in the story will be lost and, with it, some nuance, of which there are many. Full Review |
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4/4 |
If anyone can be considered an heir of the great Yasujiro Ozu, it might be Hirokazu Kore-Eda, the writer and director of Still Walking. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Still Walking is a triumph of mood and storytelling imbued with fine performances. Kore-eda creates more bombast in the quiet of a living room than I've seen from all this year's summer blockbusters. Full Review |
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9.0/10 |
A captivating, heartfelt and character-driven tapestry brimming with well-nuanced performances, exquisite cinematography and just the right balance of delicate humor. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Kore-eda, talented director that he is, never allows the story to sink into soap-opera melodrama, and he refrains from pointing fingers. Full Review |
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3.5/5 |
A gentle, absorbing drama that carefully modulates sentimentality with an eye for the way family members can be casually cruel to each other and outsiders. Full Review |
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4/5 |
Kore-eda has an extraordinary grasp on his characters, modest people who clearly mean a great deal to him. They will to you, as well. Full Review |
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