finalfantasy_gc

Another strong drama from Asghar Farhadi, however his formula is starting to wear thin. Strong performances and diverse personalities engrosses us through the whole film, but things could have been resolved a lot sooner than it did. Farhadi is really good at telling stories and creating underlying issues. But the way things were ultimately resolved towards the end was less desirable. It all felt too similar to his older films although with a less interesting story and cast. If you have already seen About Eli and Separation you will relate to this. It would do him good for the director to change his formula for his next movie so that things feel fresh again. Despite criticism this is still a solid film with an engrossing story but a bit disappointing in comparison to Separation.

The story is about two Japanese families who got their sons exchanged at birth but only to find out about it 6 years later. The big dilemma that both families face is whether to switch children or not. The main strength of this film is the unique story and the complexities that comes with this theme. Already from the start when both families meet a lot of tensions occur due to the different backgrounds and personalities of the characters. The acting performances are top notch creating a convincing scenario between these families. Koreeda has always been good with handling fun and deep family stories with underlying conflicts. A masterful combination of both humour and grief. This film will make you both laugh and cry. As always in Koreeda films the children are the biggest reasons for enjoying his films. Full of charisma and innocence pulling us through a emotional journey from start to end.

Griping drama about a war photographer who is caught between choosing her family or her work. Which we learn is a lot more complicated than we initially thought. The cast did a believable portrayal of the difficulties that people encounter in life between their passion and family. What I liked especially about this film was that the lead was not portrayed as some war hero and her story was not romanticized. The story and characters all felt realistic and convincing since the characters were different shades of gray. Something that is amiss these days within film making. There is always a need to create a struggle between good and evil. Probably one of the better stories I have seen this year. Erik Poppe you did a great job with this one!