The truth that Shoplifters reveals

MANILA, Philippines — QCINEMA International Film Festival is off to a good start with its opening film Shoplifters from Japan.

A beautifully realized social drama on screen, Hirokazu Koreeda’s Shoplifters is akin to Charles Dickens’ exquisite literary masterpiece Oliver Twist about youngsters thrust in an impoverished world where the first rule of existence is to survive.

Shota (Kairi Jo) shoplifts from grocery stores as prompted by his father Osamu Shibata. There is a lightness to their theft, a kind of calmness brought about by force of habit and a personal conviction that their action is morally tolerable.

On their way home one night, they encounter a little girl named Yuri (Miyu Sasaki). She is a runaway from home and bears bruises in her arms. She becomes part of their family living in a makeshift house. Despite their discovery that she is reported missing by her biological family, they decide to keep her.

Soon, Shota is teaching Yuri the tricks of the trade. In the course of time, he becomes protective of her just like a big brother to a little sister. This is where the main drama of the cinematic piece is drawn by Koreeda.

There is a truthful sentimentality to Shoplifters. The film reflects on the social reality of modern-day Japan. It is subtle with its emotional outbursts and has great empathy for its characters.

The family living in a cramped room is brilliantly conceived to reveal a peaceful, loving existence among misfits. The visual representation of a messed-up environment amidst an ocean of clutter immediately shows the intricacies of the relationships among the characters.

Koreeda mounts his camera and blocks his actors with a touch of Ozu and succeeds at getting to the heart of his characters.

Shoplifters poses the question, “What makes a family today?” The film tells us that a family is never just about blood relations as it is about providing a home and a protective environment for every member to feel loved and safe from the harsh and often cruel world out there.

Amidst the indifference in the modern world, love breeds and grows among those who are left out and hurting. The truth is that morality becomes very relative.