Still Walking

On a sweltering summer day, the Yokoyama family gathers at their parents' aging home to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the death of the eldest son, Junpei, who drowned saving a boy's life. Ryota, the surviving second son, arrives with his new wife Yukari, a widow, and her young son Atsushi, feeling the weight of his father's disappointment and his mother's subtle judgment.

Over the course of roughly 24 hours, the family shares meals, looks at old photos, and visits the grave. Beneath the polite chatter and domestic rituals, old wounds fester. The parents, Kyohei and Toshiko, cling to the memory of their lost heir, while Ryota struggles with his feelings of inferiority and the realization that he can never replace his brother. The film avoids melodramatic outbursts, instead revealing its emotional truths through small gestures, silences, and the specificities of family life.

At its heart, Still Walking is a meditation on the impermanence of life and the inevitability of regret. Kore-eda explores how family members can love each other deeply yet remain fundamentally unable to communicate that love before it is too late.

The title refers to the lyrics of the song "Blue Light Yokohama," but metaphorically suggests that life continues its slow, steady march despite tragedy ("still walking"), and that we are often "still walking" toward understanding our parents when they are already gone. It captures the Japanese concept of mono no aware—a wistful awareness of the transience of things.

While generally seen as a realist drama, some critics interpret the film as a ghost story where the ghost (Junpei) never appears but haunts every frame. Another interpretation focuses on the cyclical nature of behavior: Ryota resents his father's distance, yet the flash-forward implies he may be repeating similar patterns with his own family, prioritizing his own life over his parents until it is too late. The mother's character is also debated: is she a sympathetic victim of grief, or a villainous figure who uses her pain to manipulate and torment others?

Still Walking solidified Hirokazu Kore-eda's status as the heir apparent to the great Japanese humanist directors like Yasujiro Ozu and Mikio Naruse. Globally, it is regarded as a masterpiece of the 'shomin-geki' genre (drama about ordinary people). It demonstrated that contemporary cinema could still be compelling without high-stakes melodrama, influencing a wave of 'slow cinema' focused on domestic realism. Critics worldwide praised it for its universality, proving that the specific cultural rituals of a Japanese family—the altar, the shoes at the door, the food—could translate into a shared human experience of grief.

The film holds a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and is universally acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. Viewers frequently praise the naturalistic acting (especially Kirin Kiki) and the relatability of the family dynamics. Many audience members report feeling like they were watching their own families, citing the uncomfortable silences and passive-aggressive comments as painfully real. A common point of praise is the food cinematography. There is virtually no criticism, though some viewers accustomed to fast-paced Western cinema may find the slow pacing and lack of dramatic resolution challenging.