73
Metascore
33 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 100The PlaylistKevin JagernauthThe PlaylistKevin JagernauthHirokazu has crafted a warm and lovely film that suggests the easiest thing about raising a child is embracing how complicated it can be.
- 100The TelegraphRobbie CollinThe TelegraphRobbie CollinKore-eda has crafted a piercing, tender poem about the bittersweet ebb and flow of paternal love, and his status as Ozu's heir becomes ever more assured.
- 80EmpireEmpireAnother quiet delight from Koreeda.
- 70VarietyMaggie LeeVarietyMaggie LeeThe director retains his controlled style even as he moves toward a more traditional narrative mode.
- 62Film.comCalum MarshFilm.comCalum MarshThe film is starved for the kind of nuance Kore-eda wields effortlessly elsewhere. What’s left without it is something merely schematic.
- 60The GuardianPeter BradshawThe GuardianPeter BradshawThis is a sweet-natured, but essentially undemanding film from Kore-eda.
- 60Time Out LondonGuy LodgeTime Out LondonGuy LodgeThere’s typical grace and good humour in Kore-eda’s handling of this all-but-impossible situation. But the film’s critical lack of dramatic nuance undercuts its emotional resonance.
- 60The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungA lovely film that makes little emotional connection.
- 50Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerSlant MagazineAndrew SchenkerThe film scores all of its thematic points early, commenting intriguingly, if ultimately rather obviously, on the demands of Japanese patriarchy.