Still Walking
A quiet, devastatingly beautiful family drama unfolding over a single summer day. Amidst the gentle sounds of cooking and cicadas, a family's polite surface conceals deep-seated grief, resentment, and the unbridgeable distance between generations.
Still Walking
Still Walking

歩いても 歩いても

28 June 2008 Japan 114 min ⭐ 7.8 (420)
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Cast: Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, YOU, Kazuya Takahashi, Shohei Tanaka
Drama Family
Grief and Loss Family Dysfunction and Secrecy The Passage of Time Tradition vs. Modernity
Box Office: $3,511,120

Still Walking - Movie Quotes

Memorable Quotes

That's why I invite him. So he doesn't forget. ... It's not enough for him just to be grateful. He has to suffer... just a little bit.

— Toshiko Yokoyama

Context:

Ryota asks why she keeps inviting the awkward young man (Yoshio) to the memorial, suggesting they should let him off the hook.

Meaning:

Reveals the shocking cruelty beneath the mother's polite exterior. She forces the young man Junpei saved to visit every year to ensure he carries the weight of the life he "took," showing that grief can curdle into malice.

You are always a little too late.

— Ryota Yokoyama (Voiceover)

Context:

The final monologue where Ryota reveals his parents died before he could fulfill his small promises to them.

Meaning:

The central thesis of the film. It speaks to the universal human experience of realizing what we should have done for our loved ones only after they are gone.

Even if you are not there, you are there.

— Yukari Yokoyama

Context:

Yukari speaking to Ryota about the overwhelming presence of his deceased brother in the house.

Meaning:

A comment on the lingering presence of the dead. Junpei is gone, but his absence dictates everything the family does.

Steps are slow, but I'm still walking.

— Song Lyrics (Blue Light Yokohama)

Context:

The song plays while the mother listens, recalling how she discovered her husband's infidelity.

Meaning:

Reflects the mother's endurance through a loveless marriage and the tragedy of losing a child. Life continues, however slowly.