After the Storm (2016), edited, written, and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda (a true auteur) is one of my all-time favorite films.
It tells the story of a man named Ryota (Hiroshi Abe), who by all accounts seems like a pretty big loser. He’s a guy who didn’t live up to his potential after writing one award winning novel 15 years ago. He’s a gambler, generally bad with money. He’s a deadbeat father whose wife, Kyoko (Yoko Maki), has left him and threatens not to let him see their young son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa) unless he pays child support (that he’s always late with).
The thing is, despite it all, Ryota’s character is written with such dimension and care that he’s still lovable. Especially because of the way he desperately adores his son, Shingo, who seems to realize his dad is a loser but wants to hang out with him anyway.
This film is a slow burn that culminates when a typhoon forces Kyoko, Shingo, and Ryota to sleep over at his mother Yoshiko’s home (played by the incredible Kirin Kiki).
Nothing dramatic happens during the typhoon, there’s no big confrontation or reconciliation. But there are a few quiet, tender moments that hit me right in the heart. Particularly, this conversation between Ryota and Shingo, which perfectly sums up the way we all (eventually) come face-to-face with our own failure to be “who we wanted to be”.
This part always makes me cry because I deeply relate to Ryota’s attempts to accept that life is, and will always be, just an imperfect work in progress. The best we can do is just keep trying to become who we want to be.
After the Storm is streaming on the Criterion Channel but, if you have a Toronto Public Library card (or other library card), you can stream it for free on Kanopy.
Before I go, I just want to say thank you to everyone who bothers to read this blog, and especially to those who subscribed. It makes me want to keep going and it’s really nice to feel supported - thank you for being a friend.