OUR LITTLE SISTER (Umimachi Diary)
Masters D: Hirokazu Kore-eda. Japan. 128 min. Sep 12, 4:45 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 1 Sep 13, noon, Isabel Bader. See listing. Rating: NNN
After their father dies, three adult sisters (Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho) invite their teenage half-sister (Suzu Hirose) to come and live with them in their home outside of Tokyo.
Kore-eda (After Life Nobody Knows Like Father, Like Son) may be adapting the contemporary manga Umimachi Diary, but he’s working in the classical style of Yasujiro Ozu, finding entire worlds in the microcosm of one family.
This makes for a methodically paced, quietly moving experience – and, yes, some might find it tedious. I would argue that the movie fulfills its goals and tells its story with modest, unfussy grace. Sometimes, that’s enough.
