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Like Father, Like Son

Play trailer Poster for Like Father, Like Son 2014 2h 0m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 102 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Ryota learns that his biological son was switched at birth with the boy he has raised, and he must make a life-impacting decision between his two sons.

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Like Father, Like Son

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Critics Consensus

Sensitively written, smartly directed, and powerfully performed, Like Father, Like Son uses familiar-seeming elements to tell a thought-provoking story.

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Critics Reviews

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Sandra Hall Sydney Morning Herald 05/02/2014
3.5/5
There are times when the script seems just too schematic - as if Kore-eda has decided that we should all sit still while he lays out the nature versus nurture debate. Then the small truths which enrich each scene take over. Go to Full Review
Evan Williams The Australian 04/18/2014
4/5
The performances seem to me impeccable. Kore-eda is one of a host of Japanese filmmakers who never cease to enchant me. Go to Full Review
Jake Wilson Sydney Morning Herald 04/16/2014
3.5/5
The film's climax, built around the layout of a particular Tokyo location, resolves this motif in a simple, elegant and wholly satisfying way. Go to Full Review
Bianca Garner Filmotomy 10/07/2024
Every time I watch a Kore-eda film, it feels like a good therapy session. At the end of his films we feel like we have grown alongside these characters. Go to Full Review
Vadim Rizov Filmmaker Magazine 01/25/2023
The overall message (don’t work so much and fly a kite with your kid) isn’t that far off from the usual Hollywood family film guilt-tripping of absent fathers. Go to Full Review
Dustin Chang ScreenAnarchy 02/24/2021
It seems Kore-eda Hirokazu is incapable of making bad movies. The babies-switched-at-birth premise in films is nothing new. But he just makes it so darn affecting and poignant, avoiding all the clichés that go with this kind of blurry-eyed family drama. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Robson C Aug 9 Ryota Nonomiya é um homem bem sucedido e dedicado ao trabalho. Ele é casado e tem um filho, o Keita. Tudo começa a ruir, quando ele e a sua esposa recebem uma ligação do hospital, informando que o seu filho foi trocado na maternidade pelo filho de uma outra família. A partir daí, Ryota entra em conflito: o que vale mais? O amor e a criação dedicados todos esses anos ao filho ou a questão de sangue? Este é um tipo de drama que cai como uma bomba nas famílias envolvidas. Afinal, lhe disseram que aquela criança é o seu filho, você dedicou amor e carinho, mas aí lhe dizem: houve um engano e este é seu filho. Como fica a cabeça dos pais? Apesar do filme mostrar como a esposa de Ryota e a outra família reagem à situação, o filme se centra mais em Ryota. No decorrer do filme, sabemos que o relacionamento entre Ryota e seu pai nunca foi bom, principalmente devido à separação da sua mãe e o casamento com outra mulher. A partir daí, Ryota passa a exigir mais de si próprio. Em vários momentos, ele percebe a bondade e a gentileza como fraquezas, tanto no depoimento ao colégio quanto em uma conversa com a esposa. Além disso, há o choque com a outra família e o outro pai. Eles são comerciantes, donos de uma loja de materiais eletrônicos. Não tem o mesmo nível econômico de Ryota e sua família, mas percebe-se mais carinho e amor. E Yudai se mostra mais malandro, se adaptando mais à situação. As crianças estão muito bem, levando em conta que na idade dos seus personagens, os seus pais são tudo. O roteiro não apela para o sentimentalismo, que seria mais fácil, mas na construção de novos sentimentos e a destruição de velhos, Isso será possível? É um filme muito bonito, que leva a muitas indagações. Há diálogos muito reflexivos, como o do Ryota com um colega. Ryota se surpreende que uma larva de cigarra leva 15 anos para se desenvolver até a idade adulta e o colega lhe diz: " E você acha muito?". Como dissesse, o tempo de desenvolvimento de um ser não pode ser padronizado. Há pessoas que se desenvolvem mais rápido, há outras que levam mais tempo. E quanto é necessário? 15? 20? Uma vida inteira? Uma bela lição de vida. See more Dave S Jun 21 It’s safe to say that no director working today handles family drama as effectively as Japan’s Hirokazu Koreeda. Case in point: Like Father, Like Son. When a workaholic father and devoted mother are advised by the hospital that their 6-year-old only child was switched at birth, their world is understandably rocked, forcing the father to confront his considerable shortcomings as a parent. It feels like one of Koreeda’s most austere films, pared down to the bone, filled with quietly intelligent dialogue, remarkable performances (especially from the children), subtle but effective camerawork, and a restrained but powerful score. On the surface, it’s a movie about nurture vs nature, but it is really about so much more. See more Tuğba D Apr 10 I really loved the script yet I am not sure about the actors. See more William D @acsdoug 04/21/2023 Admirably, the movie doesn't serve up easy answers for what would be an excruciating situation for all involved. While the ending won't surprise you it's a very decent dramatic ride to that point. See more isla s 09/02/2022 This was a slightly slow film, plot wise, to start with but I found myself feeling (hopefully understandably?) quite sorry for the affected families (moreso the mothers than the fathers) and interested to see what they would do. Its quite a thought provoking film. I thought the topic was handled quite well, infact it felt a bit like a documentary film at times, more than perhaps a 'full blown drama' film. I liked the music played at the end - it gave it a haunting feel. I would recommend this film, although if you prefer quite high action/'busy' type films, then this one may be a bit slow and not to your liking. See more Alvise F 05/22/2022 Kore-eda adding the improbable, but not unbelievable, element of the children's switching, finds the winning recipe for reinventing himself. The theme dear to the Tokyo director, the contemporary family and its disintegration, here takes on an almost surreal nuance, on which creates the foundations of an interesting social criticism. The class difference and the different way of life of the protagonists are always observed with dignity, maintaining impartiality and leaving the judgment to the audience. As in previous works, we find also the Japanese aesthetics of "mono no aware" (物の哀れ), that enhances the "pathos of things", or rather, the "empathy toward things"; which is revealed, for example, in the first encounter of the two families, when the father and his biological son chew the straw in the same way. After some less successful work, the author realizes a film that is less poetic than the first works but certainly more solid than the recent ones. It seems to have something new to say and we are here to hear it. See more Read all reviews
Like Father, Like Son

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Movie Info

Synopsis Ryota learns that his biological son was switched at birth with the boy he has raised, and he must make a life-impacting decision between his two sons.
Director
Hirokazu Koreeda
Screenwriter
Hirokazu Koreeda
Distributor
IFC Films
Production Co
Fuji Television Network Inc.
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 17, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 6, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$278.4K
Runtime
2h 0m
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