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Still Walking

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Still Walking

Released Aug 28, 2009

1h 54m

Drama

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Tomatometer

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100%

Tomatometer

67 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Twelve years after their beloved eldest son, Junpei, drowned while saving a stranger's life, Kyohei (Yoshio Harada) and Toshiko (Kirin Kiki) welcome their surviving children home for a family reunion. Younger son Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) still feels that his parents resent that he isn't the one who died; his new wife, Yukari (Yui Natsukawa), is awkwardly meeting the rest of the family for the first time. Daughter Chinami (You) strains to fill the uncomfortable pauses with forced cheer.

Critics Consensus

Hirokazu Kore-eda's film may seem modest at first, but this family drama casts a delicate, entrancing spell.

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Trevor Johnston

Sight & Sound

Even in subtitled form, this is a dialogue masterclass. Sly comments and pointed asides take precedence over upfront speechifying, while revelations are subtly layered in without narrative strategies becoming unduly obvious.

Jul 6, 2018

Full Review

Tony Rayns

Film Comment Magazine

There's a natural flow of small hatreds, resentments, joys, and insecurities, superbly caught by every member of the cast

Nov 17, 2013

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Ben Kenigsberg

Time Out

Rated: 4/5

Nov 18, 2011

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

Kore-Eda is marvelous with these little moments, at observing the reverberations of discomfort around the table at a family meal after a thoughtless remark or a bitter rebuke... or watching the still life of a family at rest.

Feb 8, 2025

Full Review

Lisa Laman

Culturess

Still Walking crystallizes why [Kore-eda] he's so adept at navigating this thorny and raw material.

Feb 3, 2025

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Kore-eda’s film is insightful, moving, perceptive, and appropriately complex in the exploration of its subject.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 4, 2023

Full Review

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QUANG HUY L

This film is not too tragic still fascinating to watch, the story is simple but conveys a lot about the family issues. Love Koreeda's films because of its pureness. (A fan from Vietnam)

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/28/24

Full Review

Sam F

All the generational tensions and often unspoken tenderness come to light in the course of a family reunion. Beautiful timing, contemplation of the most and least pleasant moments, regrets, dashed hopes and misunderstandings: "Still walking" is a perfect portrait of family pain.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/10/24

Full Review

mradul s

Very few films capture the truth of life's eventuality as it really is with all its boredom, tragedy, and acceptance of destiny. This is one such film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/24

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Alex H

When someone asks what makes a good Movie, I often reference this. The acting is superb and the subtlety in the dialogue welcomes the viewer in to experience the story as though they are part of the gathering. It is a fantastic exploration of the ever-changing generational expectations of a modern family. Beautiful and heartwarming; leaving you content yet deeply moved with the perfectly executed final scene. Unlike anything else I have ever watched.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/01/24

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Kevin L

Not among my favorite Hirokazu Kore-eda films. Slow pacing family dynamics drama built on a lost son (dad's favorite), resentment, and lots of eating. 3 stars

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

06/18/23

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Alvise F

Perhaps the Kore-eda's film that comes closest to Ozu's work. The themes dear to the aesthetics of "the modern Ozu" are all there: the contemporary family's slice of life, the death and the elaboration of mourning. Old age is another key element here, such as the difficult communication between family members due to the generation gap and the superficiality and prejudices of the protagonists. The author seems to have definitively standardized his style and is struggling to find the freshness of the first works, resulting monotonous. A semi-autobiographical film so delicate that at times turns out to be pedant.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

05/22/22

Full Review

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Hirokazu Koreeda

Director

Hiroshi Abe

Ryota Yokoyama

You

Chinami Kataoka

Yoshio Harada

Kyohei Yokoyama

Ryôga Hayashi

Mutsu Kataoka

Haruko Kato

Actor

Critics Consensus: Guess Halloween 2‘s Tomatometer!

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Synopsis

Twelve years after their beloved eldest son, Junpei, drowned while saving a stranger's life, Kyohei (Yoshio Harada) and Toshiko (Kirin Kiki) welcome their surviving children home for a family reunion. Younger son Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) still feels that his parents resent that he isn't the one who died; his new wife, Yukari (Yui Natsukawa), is awkwardly meeting the rest of the family for the first time. Daughter Chinami (You) strains to fill the uncomfortable pauses with forced cheer.

Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Producer: Yoshihiro Kato, Satoshi Kono, Hijiri Taguchi, Masahiro Yasuda
Screenwriter: Hirokazu Koreeda
Distributor: IFC Films
Production Co: IFC Films
Genre: Drama
Original Language: Japanese
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 28, 2009, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $163.5K
Runtime: 1h 54m

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