Film Review – After the Storm

Hirokazu Kore-eda has crafted a series of mournful, compelling Japanese dramas over the last few years, hitting creative highs with “Our Little Sister,” “I Wish,” and “Like Father, Like Son.” He’s filling a career already stocked with impressive efforts, forming something of a hot streak with achingly human pictures that touch on universal realities and showcase unusual sides to Japanese culture and fatherhood. “After the Storm” is his latest endeavor, and it sustains the helmer’s concentration on the subtle challenges of life, again returning to an emphasis on character, watching these personalities work on their behavioral and psychological issues. It’s a tender and wise feature, sustaining Kore-eda’s inspection of family and the bittersweet experience of aging. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com