Friday, March 29, 2024

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Review // Like Father, Like Son

First Published:

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Who’s Your Daddy?

Like Father, Like Son centres around Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama), a successful architect managing to stand above the pack in the cut-throat corporate world of modern Tokyo. High above the city in a condo that feels about as homey as an Ikea, his wife Midori (Machiko Ono) has been left the majority of the parenting duties over their six-year-old son Keita (Keita Nonomiya). Despite his absence, Ryota expects his ambitious nature to be reflected in his young son, enrolling him in private school and piano lessons. To his dismay Keita displays a kinder nature, quiet and patient like his mother. Unable to recognize the effects of his absentee fathering on his son, Ryota struggles to connect with him, lapsing into stern reminders to practice his piano and eat his vegetables.

Their relationship is put to the test when Ryota and Midori are called to the hospital and told that Keita is not their biological offspring. Switched at birth by one of the hospital’s nurses, Keita is the child of another couple: Yukari (Yôko Maki) and Yudai (Rirî Furankî). The more modest-living parents of three children, Yukari runs an electronics shop while Yudai works at a restaurant. Their eldest son Ryusei is the true child of Ryota and Midori. At the hospital’s bequest, the families meet and begin the strange practice of trading sons for weekends as they try to understand how to move forward.

The film presents the question of nature vs. nurture with little fanfare. In fact due to the near absence of conflict in the film you’d be forgiven for not realizing that the film’s main subject is one of considerable, and contentious debate. Nevertheless, almost every character within the film is sure of their position. The hospital staff and Ryota’s father think the choice to swap the children is obvious, while Ryota’s lawyer (a man perhaps more familiar with the intricacies of the modern world) tells him that “blood” is an old fashioned concept. His own childhood having been less than happy (raised by a strict father and a woman who was not his biological mother), Ryota is the only one who seems unable to make up his mind on the question.

Because of this, Ryota is an engaging protagonist. He may be hard to like, but he struggles more than anyone in the film. Unable to understand that a child could need more than the finest schools and tutors, Ryota first views the hospital’s revelation as an excuse for his failings as a father. Of course Keita is not his son, his son would be a go-getter like him! However the more he sees of Yudai and Yukari’s happy home life the more Ryota understands that he may be missing something. We are caught in the middle with him, and even if you come to the film firmly on one side of nature vs. nurture, Koreeda provides ample time for you to reconsider your position.

Like his acclaimed 2006 film Nobody Knows, the true stars of Koreeda’s newest are the children. Keita is quiet and careful, eager to please his father and delighted with any affection. Ryusei is his opposite, confident and assertive. Though Ryota is the focus of the film, it is Keita and Ryusei who are its substance. Koreeda’s camera captures the children at the most natural and innocent, reminding us of how little genetics matter to a child.

Simply and realistically shot, the film captures the family moments with a refreshing realism. Unafraid to linger in silence, Koreeda gives his actors room to breath, allowing the dialogue to seem naturally thought out and earnest. Considering the subject matter the film could have easily lapsed in to melodrama, but Koreeda manages to walk a fine line. Opting to use piano pieces for music (in place of the typical strings), he avoids dictating our emotional response. In fact, aside from the final scene, the film’s impact is not that of shocking moments of sadness, but instead a consistent pang; a regret and sympathy that deepens as the story unfolds.

Though it requires some patience (the film feels every second of it’s 122 minute run time) Like Father, Like Son is a rewarding experience. It’s a true emotional journey, and one that will make for interesting discussions long after you’ve left the theatre. Though the story may seem a bit inconceivable in our modern world, the question of what truly makes a family is timeless. It would take a pretty cold heart to get through this one without a sniffle, so don’t forget the tissues.

Reviewed by Evan Arppe.

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