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Little Sister

Play trailer 1:59 Poster for Little Sister PG Released Jul 8, 2016 2h 6m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 123 Reviews 83% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
After the death of their estranged father, three siblings (Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho) invite their half sister (Suzu Hirose) to live with them.
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Little Sister

Little Sister

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Critics Consensus

Our Little Sister uses the story of one fractured family to offer universal -- and deeply moving -- observations on the human condition.

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Critics Reviews

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Aliza Ma Film Comment Magazine Never shying away from the picturesque, the film depicts a vivid world that is crystal clear, gleaming, and suffused with life. Nov 3, 2017 Full Review Raphael Abraham Financial Times [A] warmly enveloping exploration of grief, guilt and gradually letting go. Rated: 4/5 Dec 27, 2016 Full Review Calvin Wilson St. Louis Post-Dispatch Rarely has a film more eloquently captured the universality of human experience. Rated: 4/4 Sep 15, 2016 Full Review Michael Clark Epoch Times It could prove to be too safe for a few, but for those seeking a true reflection of real life in a foreign land and want to witness a fractured family repairing itself under unorthodox circumstances, “Our Little Sister” is an uplifting endearing must-see. Rated: 5/5 Dec 27, 2022 Full Review David Bax Battleship Pretension Kore-eda seems so preoccupied with such small observations that the viewer may only gradually realize that time is passing and major events are taking place. That's the point, though, and beautifully illustrated. Jan 5, 2021 Full Review Charlotte Harrison Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies Exquisite filmmaking. Dec 2, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Clara Y It's a super heartfelt movie that shows the beauty of sisterly bond and a coastal town's charm. The director really brings out the emotions and humor in a way that makes you feel for each character. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/24/24 Full Review Georgan G A touching, beautifully filmed story about the circle of life and how precious kindness truly is. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/19/24 Full Review Pathetic b The storytelling, not only in hindsight, gave me the feeling of being constantly pulled along by my nosehairs towards a deffinite direction. The end. Very formulaic, constructed. Even the characters, their "individual" traits. Not natural at all. That was really dissapointing and underwhelming. Having seen some of his other movies. I don't think people should spend their real life in a dark room watching things like this. That is, to me, not what cinema was ever created for. To me, it has to be some kind of art. But he is, generally, a excellent director and every actor always seems to feel very, very comfortable with his style. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/08/24 Full Review William D Possibly the chickflickiest chick flick of all time. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/14/23 Full Review Audience Member A quiet, thoughtful, and compelling film, "Our Little Sister" explores complicated family relationships and what it takes to find peace and acceptance within them. Director Kore-eda has a sharp focus but lets the film breathe and move at its own, measured pace. This allows the superb cast, especially stars Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho, and Suzu Hirose, to delve deeply into their characters. In some ways, it may seem that not a lot happens in this movie. Beneath the surface, however, this is a sensitive, healing portrait of family members coming to terms with themselves and each other. It's the kind of film you may find yourself thinking about for quite a while after you see it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review isla s I really enjoyed this film. Its a gentle, laidback style film, which I felt had a particularly good use of music score - it wasn't too overbearing. I enjoyed seeing the sisters interact and learning about their individual lives. There are themes present including secrets, death and the importance of families. Its a thoughtful watch and I also enjoyed watching it in terms of seeing the Japanese surroundings. The house the film is mostly set in is quite pretty and there are some other places shown. I thought it was interesting to see how they deal with death in terms of the ceremonies shown and the like - it does definitely show an aspect of Japanese culture, although its a drama film rather than a documentary as such. It may be a little slow, plot development wise but if your like me and enjoy world cinema, esp, Asian world cinema, and learning about other cultures, or if you like dramas about family secrets and the like, then this is well worth a watch (as long as your ok with subtitles, obviously). Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Little Sister

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis After the death of their estranged father, three siblings (Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho) invite their half sister (Suzu Hirose) to live with them.
Director
Hirokazu Koreeda
Screenwriter
Hirokazu Koreeda
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Film Inc.
Rating
PG (Thematic Elements|Brief Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Japanese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 8, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$496.2K
Runtime
2h 6m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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