I watched almost all Kore Eda's films. To me is one of the best actual japanese films director. But Shoplifter (Manbiki Kazoku) isn't my fav. As you mentioned it, Nobody Knows (Dare mo shiranai) is such a powerful film... but with Shoplifters, Kore Eda explored another concept about what is suppose to be a "family" (recurring theme in his filmography) and talk about social issues in contemporary Japan, such as poverty, freeters and child abuse, which are often overlooked is more popular japanese films ! So, to me, it's a good point and I was glad the film won the Palme d'Or in 2018. I recemmend you his film "Like Father Like Son" or "Still Walking", two of my favorites.
Thnx for telling me abt "Still Walking" and "Like Father Like Son", just watched the earlier film, im too moved by it except Wow. I musta watched Nobody Knows on dvd back in the day borrowed from the library but missed knowing about these 2 films.
I watched a few Japanese language films back in the day, Tampopo in a cinema in the 90s, Takeshi Kitano in a few/or one of his directed films, either Hana-Bi or Violent Cop or Sonatine in the 2000s, or after they came out on dvd; also Departures also in the cinema when it got released here.
But its such a desert here for those films, unless i constantly check the internet n willing to go thru pounds of dross for a few grams of precious metals/diamonds.
I wanna mention a local movie "Kid from the Big Apple" n its sequel "Kid from Big Apple 2", in case it interests you. Just a small scale indie film abt a family in my country which i loved this movie. The language n English subs might be formidable obstacles to watching this movie tho(there are subs but nuance might be lost).
Also,
Finding Mr. Right "北京遇上西雅图"(simplified chinese); "北京遇上西雅圖"(traditional chinese); "
Běijīng yùshàng Xiyǎtú" and
Book of Love aka
Finding Mr. Right 2 purely for commercial reasons, "北京遇上西雅图之不二情书" (chinese).
But these 4 are more sentimental n not as hard hitting as Kore-eda's films, just tat they hv an element of social issues within the commercial aspects/populist concerns of the filmmakers who made them.
Just tat i was reminded of these 4 movies when i was writing this reply, wish i knew where i could read more abt films like "Shoplifters", "Nobody Knows", "Like Father Like Son" n "Still Walking". I knew abt "The Truth" directed by Koreeda only cos i looked for info after watching "Shoplifters" n watched it this year. (Long after my OP in Jan 2020).
