To Bathe in Filmic Waters

Still Walking | Hirokazu Koreeda, 2008

Someone recently pointed out to me that 2008 was a year for the family film; not those intended to entertain adults and kids alike but those created to portray the family dynamic in modern society. This is true in a sense, we have been treated to such family-oriented titles as I’ve Loved You So Long, Flight of the Red Balloon and Summer Hours from France alone this year. Then again it is also true to say that filmmakers have always attempted to capture the beauty of family, and with Still Walking Japanese writer/director Hirokazu Koreeda has become the latest master of this subtle art. The original title, Aruitemo Aruitemo, refers to lyrics from a pop song that is mentioned during the film and literally translates into “Even if You Walk and Walk”, a name that had been slapped on the project for international release until some ill-advised soul intervened to alter it. Whatever the title for English speaking areas, here Koreeda details a long-overdue reunion for the Yokoyama family, headed by the lanky form of Ryoto who is played by Hiroshi Abe. Ryo hesitantly approaches this annual family gathering with his newfound widowed wife and her son in tow, and sure enough he is judged on this life decision almost instantly by his domineering father and energetic mother. Ryo’s sister however escapes such inspection, for it is not she who must fill the boots of the eldest Yokoyama son who had died in a tragic accident some years earlier.

The inability to hide resentment is a central part of Still Walking; an idea that greatly influences its range of characters though one that may not always take center stage. Ryo’s Father looks down upon him reproachfully, not only for his decision to marry a widow but also his career choices in general. The consequences of the family’s huge loss are such that a generational conflict has been raised and may never be extinguished. Therefore while the family home may have aged and gathered dust over the years, the dynamics and more importantly conflicts of family life have stayed the same. As Still Walking proceeds this resentment gives way to something like regret, regret that gives the film some warmth and perhaps stems from the director’s own experiences in such situations. It is this regret that ultimately pushes the family closer together before their awkward final parting must take place. As previously mentioned,  many filmmakers have attempted to capture the family dynamic with sincerity since the dawn of cinema. Hence it was only inevitable that a work like Still Walking would inspire people to draw comparisons to Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story, despite the two films being generations apart. Flattering comparisons aside, Still Walking is a subtle and touching family portrait that says a lot about the importance of kin in today’s society and at the same time much about Japanese culture.

Our Rating: