Still Walking (film)

Plot

The Yokoyama family come together every year to commemorate the death of the eldest son, Junpei, who drowned accidentally 15 years ago while saving the life of another boy. His father Kyohei, a retired doctor, and mother Toshiko are joined by their surviving son Ryota, who has recently married a widow with a young son, and their daughter Chinami, her husband and their children. The family experience nostalgia, humour, sadness and tension as memories are shared and ceremonies performed.

Cast

Reception

Still Walking received wide acclaim from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 100% of 62 professional critics gave the film a positive review. In a Chicago Sun-Times review, Roger Ebert gave the work a full four stars and argued that Koreeda is an heir of Yasujirō Ozu. Trevor Johnston of Sight & Sound wrote that "however one positions Still Walking in the firmament of Japan's cinematic achievements, one thing is sure: it belongs up there with the masters." The film won the Asian Film Award for Best Director, and was nominated for the Grand Prix of the Belgian Syndicate of Cinema Critics.