I would probably cast a harsher judgment on the film were it not for the touching premise, the Kyushu location and, last but not least, the young cast. I dozed off somewhere in the middle (longueurs + jet lag) but perked up again when the kids started planning their little adventure. ... Those kids are seriously awesome (and not just the two incredible leads, their little friends too).
Honest and genuine. Review and rating: http://alwayswatchgoodmovies.blogspot.com/2012/02/i-wish-2011.html
Unbalanced, the second part is far more effective than the first, though the ending should be much sooner. A little bit too long, some times sentimental and with a really shitty soundtrack, it does have a brilliant cast that makes the movie worthwile. Some moments are very effective (visually, I mean) but being this my first Kore-eda, I would say he is a second-rate Ozu follower.
His entire ideology as a filmmaker changed around the time he made Nobody Knows in 2003. His work before that is extremely different. I believe he now cites Naruse as his main influence, and yes he is a second-rate Naruse follower. But the comparison to Ozu has always been overblown and jaundiced. His early films bear more resemblance to Hou Hsiao-hsien than Ozu.
It kills me to know this is the same director who made a masterful film in Maborosi, and a solid effort in Distance, who now has shown the greatest decline in talent that I've ever seen. I can't see anything stylistically, aesthetically, thematically, remotely interesting in his recent efforts. Such a shame
I admire Kore-Eda for making such a movie with a cast of children. I admire him even more for making me want to strangle him every time he uses a song out of the 1001 Cheesy Guitar Tunes for Cheap Sentiment Songbook on his soundtrack, which is about 46 times...
Kore-eda is on the short list of the world's best directors, this sweet, contemplative film bares resemblance to his previous kid-centric "Nobody Knows".
A friendly delve into the complications of life as a child in modern day Japan. A time of hopes and dreams and a place where wishes just might come true. The children are great and all appear to be far wiser than any of the adults in this. It's shmaltz free and captures the energy and adventure of youth in arresting detail. 3 stars
Hirokazu Kore-eda continues to stake his claim as the modern day answer to Yasujiro Ozu with this altogether wonderful film about two young brothers, separated by their parents' divorce, who set out to create a miracle and reunite their family. Hirokazu has a knack for taking the mundane details of life and turning them into something extraordinary, and this beautifully sensitive portrait of childhood is no different
Every movie I watch by Kore-eda makes me want to visit Japan for at least once in my life.
Immaginate uno "Stand by me" neorealista. Un gruppo di bambini meravigliosi, il desiderio di un miracolo, la scoperta che i miracoli, quelli possibili, li facciamo noi. Ok, colpa mia che fin qui non ho visto nulla di Kore-Eda. Un filo lunghetto ma bellissimo.
a little miracle..gentle, real, wistful, with beautiful performances from all the kids, esp the two boys who only communicate about their separated parents from their phones.Kore-Eda interweaves all their hopes, loves, mysteries, and wishes with a tale that becomes more moving as it reaches its magical climax; the cinematic grandson of Hiroshi Shimizu,Kore-Eda is the master of zen cinema...
As a big fan of Nobody Knows, Still Walking, Afterlife, well, all Koreeda's movies, I had to go see I Wish at the theater and pay the big bucks (yay Japan 20$ for a movie).You could compare the slow pace to Still Walking,also the Kyushu scenery is beautiful and brotherhood stories are known to please people. The Koreeda touch helps to get to the innocent,Ozu-like contemplation.(not as much as Still walking probably).
