Movie Review: 'I Wish' | Movies & TV | Arts & Entertainment | Epoch ...

High-speed trains, an estranged family, miracles, and volcanoes: These might seem like an unusual combination, but Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda blends these unique elements together with masterful and delicate insight in his latest film, ?I Wish.?

Those familiar with Koreeda?s film ?Nobody Knows? will recognize his natural ability to capture the sensitivity and depth of his child characters. ?I Wish,? however, takes a far more upbeat turn than the earlier film (which earned its lead actor an award at Cannes).

The story centers on two siblings (played by real-life brothers Koki and Ohshir? Maeda). Twelve-year-old Koichi lives in Kagoshima, Southern Kyushu, with his mother and retired grandparents against the backdrop of an ever-threatening sky of volcanic ash. His younger brother, Ryunosuke, lives with their dropout musician father in Hakata, Northern Kyushu.

The only thing that Koichi wants in the whole world is for his family to be reunited. When he hears that a new bullet train will soon be connecting the two towns, he starts to believe that a miracle will take place at the exact moment the two new trains first pass each other at top speed.

Trains, Kids, and Miracles

I wish
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Koki Maeda, Ohshir? Maeda, and Ry?ga Hayashi
Running Time: 128 minutes
Rating: PG
In Japanese with English subtitles

His desire quickly turns to adventure as he and his brother arrange to meet at the exact time and location where the trains will pass, and set off along with their school friends in search of miracles.?

This is a far cry from your average kid-goes-on-a-quest movie. There is a subtlety that underlines the film, apparent not just in the incredibly naturalistic performances the director has coaxed from his child actors but also in the core essence of the story.

?I Wish? is a long way from Disney, but neither does it dwell on sorrow and darkness. Instead, the story gives the children credit for understanding the truth about life. The kids know deep down that the miracles won?t happen, but more importantly they learn to realize that it doesn?t matter. The sense of life they learn on this journey is worth far more than the wishes they yell out as the two trains finally shoot past each other in an emotional crescendo.

Koreeda is a master of understatement, and his portrayal of ordinary people living ordinary lives shines in every scene. Never descending into cloying sentimentality, the children blend seamlessly together as an ensemble cast. The acting feels spontaneous and realistic, almost as though Koreeda were in fact observing reality. (With his roots in documentaries, this is perhaps not surprising.)

The beautiful cinematography by Yutuka Yamazaki conveys the story from the children?s point of view with some memorable images. One example is the scene in which Koichi and his grandfather sit opposite one another in a red Ferris wheel capsule suspended against the panoramic backdrop of the volcano, the streets of the town at night alive with culture and color.?

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For a movie with very little confrontational drama, ?I Wish? somehow manages to engage and charm even in many scenes where there is little significant action. Capturing the magic of everyday life, it is a humanistic movie with great potential to attract a large audience.

Georgina Hutchinson writes on independent film and lives in Los Angeles.

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