Shoplifters

"Shoplifters" follows a makeshift family living on the fringes of Tokyo society. Osamu, the patriarch, and his son, Shota, are skilled shoplifters who use a system of hand signals. One freezing night, they find a young girl named Yuri alone on a balcony and decide to take her in. Despite their poverty, the family, which also includes Osamu's wife Nobuyo, her younger sister Aki, and the grandmother Hatsue, provides Yuri with a level of care she was missing from her abusive parents.

As Yuri, renamed Lin, becomes part of their unconventional family and learns their ways of survival, including shoplifting, underlying tensions and secrets begin to surface. Shota starts to question the morality of their actions, especially as he grows protective of Lin. The family's fragile existence is threatened when a series of events, starting with Shota's deliberate act of getting caught, leads to their discovery by the authorities. This unravels their carefully constructed world and forces them to confront the truth about their relationships and the crimes that bind them.

"Shoplifters" explores the profound question of what constitutes a family. Director Hirokazu Kore-eda challenges the conventional notion that family is solely defined by blood ties, suggesting that chosen families, born out of necessity and genuine affection, can be just as, if not more, valid. The film delves into the complexities of love, morality, and survival on the margins of society. It raises questions about whether a loving, albeit criminal, environment can be better for a child than an abusive biological home. Ultimately, the film suggests that the bonds forged through shared experience and mutual care are what truly define a family, even if those bonds are unrecognized and ultimately broken by society.

While the film is largely seen as a critique of societal structures and a celebration of chosen family, there are alternative readings.

• A Darker Take on the Family: Some interpretations focus more on the selfish motivations of the adult characters. Osamu and Nobuyo could be seen as using the children to fulfill their own emotional needs, and Hatsue is explicitly shown to be financially exploiting Aki's family. This reading suggests that the family is not purely altruistic but a complex web of mutual, and sometimes parasitic, dependencies.
• Shota's Intentionality: The reason for Shota getting caught can be debated. While it appears to be an act of moral rebellion to save Yuri, it could also be interpreted as a subconscious desire to escape a life that he knows is unsustainable, or even an act of jealousy now that he has to share his parents' attention.
• The Ambiguous Ending: The final shot of Yuri looking out from her balcony is open to interpretation. Is she wistfully remembering her time with the Shibatas, or has she spotted something or someone that gives a glimmer of hope? Her expression is unreadable, leaving the audience to ponder her ultimate fate and the lasting impact of her time with the family.

"Shoplifters" achieved significant critical acclaim globally, culminating in its Palme d'Or win at Cannes, which brought renewed international attention to contemporary Japanese cinema. The film sparked a national conversation in Japan about poverty, social safety nets, and the definition of family. Some conservative voices in Japan criticized the film for portraying the country in a negative light, particularly for focusing on crime and poverty. However, many praised Kore-eda for shedding light on the "invisible people" of Japanese society. The film draws on the tradition of Japanese family dramas, particularly the work of Yasujirō Ozu, though Kore-eda himself has noted a closer affinity with filmmakers like Ken Loach who focus on social realism. "Shoplifters" resonated with audiences worldwide for its universal themes of love, loss, and the human need for connection, proving that a story deeply rooted in a specific culture can have a profound and widespread impact.

Audiences largely responded positively to "Shoplifters," praising its emotional depth, powerful performances, and thought-provoking themes. Many viewers were deeply moved by the film's portrayal of the unconventional family and found themselves empathizing with the characters despite their flaws and criminal activities. The naturalistic performances, especially from the child actors, were frequently highlighted as a major strength. The main points of criticism, particularly from some quarters in Japan, were that the film presented a bleak and unfairly negative picture of Japanese society. Some viewers also found the slow, observational pace challenging. However, the overwhelming consensus was that "Shoplifters" is a masterful and heart-wrenching piece of cinema that stays with the viewer long after the credits roll.