One of the most affecting films I’ve seen in the last year is Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s After the Storm, a deeply humane tale of family dynamics and rebuilding relationships. Ahead of a release later this month by Film Movement, we’re pleased to premiere an exclusive clip from the tender drama, which finds Yoshiko (Kirin Kiki) talking to her grandson Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa) about his mother and father.
We said in our review from Cannes last year, “This is Kore-eda at his very best, facing up to the hardest truths with honesty and a nervous laugh — uncomfortable, invigorating, and ultimately cleansing, like the cinema’s equivalent of a cold shower. And I mean that in the best way possible.”
Check out our exclusive clip below.
A family rebuilds in our exclusive clip from Hirokazu Kore-eda's beautifully tender drama #AfterTheStorm: https://t.co/l7X2MSpnlM pic.twitter.com/9YgfzfcmFa
— The Film Stage ? (@TheFilmStage) March 8, 2017
Dwelling on his past glory as a prize-winning author, Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) wastes the money he makes as a private detective on gambling and can barely pay his child support. After the death of his father, his aging mother Yoshiko (legendary actress Kirin Kiki) and his beautiful ex-wife Kyoko (Yoko Maki) seem to be moving on with their lives. Renewing contact with his initially distrusting family, Ryota struggles to take back control of his existence and to find a place in the life of his young son Shingo (Taiyo Yoshizawa)—until a stormy summer night offers them a chance to truly bond again.
After the Storm opens in limited release on March 17 and will expand in the weeks to follow.