Koichi and his younger brother Ryunosuke have been separated by their parents’ divorce, and Koichi’s only wish is for his family to be reunited. When he learns that a bullet train line will soon open linking the two towns in which they live, Koichi sets out on a journey hoping to witness a miracle.

Hirokazu Koreeda’s touching family drama is rocked gently by the ebbs and flows of a family’s unstable dynamic. Sometimes tragic, always moving, I Wish has empathy for both sides of the story, recognizing the inherent challenges of the nuclear family unit. And has anyone directed children better?