Happily putting the misfire of Cannes’ 'Sheep in the Box' behind him, the Japanese auteur recaptures his semi-naïve sense of wonder at life’s beauties and the joy of sharing them with those we love.
Plus IconJay Weissberg
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Venice FIlm Festival There’s barely an adult in sight in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Look Back,” where anyone out of school age is marginalized practically to the point of superfluidity. Like much in the first half of this sweet — at times too sweet — adaptation from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga of the same title, also made into an animated film in 2024, the preciousness of a child’s world can create a barrier for those who don’t automatically melt at the sight of a youngster’s smile. But then, as often happens in Kore-eda’s child-focused body of work, there’s a moment when, unexpectedly, what’s on screen suddenly hits a point of transcendence and resistance falls away. That moment can take a bit of time to come, but the payoff is worth the wait.
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