Words by: James Cornall
Director: Hirokazu Koreeda
Cast: Masaharu Fukuyama, Yōko Maki, Lily Franky, Machiko Ono, Keita Ninomiya, Shogen Hwang
Certificate: PG
Running time: 120 minutes
There’s something unsettling about Like Father, Like Son in its foremost exploration of the nature versus nurture debate. The answer to whether a relative you have cared for over the course of 6 years is alien to you when you discover you don’t share the same blood seems to be a given- it’s impossible to ignore that bond. Nevertheless, the topic of family is sacred in Japanese cinema, and the above question is one that Hirokazu Koreeda’s film endeavours to explore.
Koreeda isn’t a stranger to drama, now following the success of his 2011 film I Wish with this intimate portrait of two families at a crossroads. Ryota Nonomiya (Masaharu Fukushima) and his wife Midori (Machika Ono) have been working to gain their son, Keita (Keita Ninomiya), admission to elementary school. However, a blood test taken prior to admission reveals that Keita isn’t related to the two parents, and that their son was switched with another in the hospital ward at birth. The hospital organises a meeting between the parents of both Keita and Ryusei (Shogen Hwang), where we meet Yudai and Yukari Saiki (Lily Franky and Yōko Maki).
The Saiki family happily live a humble existence, on a struggling income with numerous children. And yet, the cramped surroundings of their household are bubbling with jollity, in stark contrast to the strict, up-market apartment that the Nonomiya family inhabit. Ryota himself embodies this strict authority, and becomes a figure whose only real redemption comes towards the end of the film. His actions are painful to watch as his arrogance and ignorance alienates Keita and his wife. It doesn’t take much coercion before the audience finds themselves actively despising Ryota, which makes his epiphany all the more emotional.
The children themselves, including the rest of the Seiki family’s children, are the force that elevates the film from parental drama to family drama. The discussion and conflict between the parents of both families could have very quickly taken the film away from the children and straight to the courtroom, but the genuine performances from the young cast keep the scales of tone balanced.
Particularly captivating is Keita’s adjustment to his new surroundings after the families swap him and Ryusei for a sleepover. The wide-eyed child marvels at his new surroundings while Ryusei ignores his and focuses on playing games. It is Keita’s retreat from and avoidance of Ryota in the final act that tugs the heartstrings unrelentingly.
While the film’s resolution does meet our expectations, it is what happens over the course of the film that keeps the audience watching. How do you approach a ‘changeling’ situation such as this? How do you go about swapping these boys, is it ethical? Koreeda’s film deals with these issues maturely and poignantly, delivering a delicately told story with huge emotional fervour. Sparkling like the script is the cinematography itself, capturing wonderful locations and beautiful lighting.
Despite moments where you may find yourself asking “where is the humanity in this?” it does reassuringly find it after much deliberation.
