Winner of the “Palme d'Or” at the 2018 Cannes Festival, Shoplifters, by Hirokazu Koreeda, presents us with a marginalised family that lives on the fringes of the rest of Japanese society. Shoplifters is a brilliant and audacious film, intense and surprising, one of the best in Koreeda. Much due to the brilliant performances of the cast, the result is a gratifying and deeply moving drama, reliving themes from previous films such as Nobody Knows (2004) and Like Father Like Son (2013). 

Despite all its kindness and calmness, Shoplifters has a devastatingly clear view of modern Japan. Usually, Japanese cinema shows us two possible societies. One is quite advanced, where people live comfortably taking advantage of technology and capitalism. The other portrays the world of organized crime, where no one seems to dedicate himself to hunger crimes. For this reason, Shoplifters surprises by showing naturally the shortages of a working class that hardly earns what it needs to survive, without having to romanticize poverty or delinquency. 

The slow revelations, the natural interactions and the prudent spacing between shock and surprise are proof that this master filmmaker is in perfect harmony with his designs and his art.

2018: Festival de Cannes: Palma de Ouro