Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
After the death of their estranged father, 3 adult sisters invite their teenaged half-sister to live with them.
Hirokazu Kore-eda's quietly observational drama excels in its naturalistic performances from its ensemble cast, particularly Haruka Ayase and Suzu Hirose, who bring warmth and depth to their roles. Cinematographer Mikiya Takimoto captures the seasonal beauty of Kamakura with painterly precision, making the visual texture one of the film's greatest strengths. The plot, while gently engaging, is deliberately uneventful — a slice-of-life study of domestic rhythms that prioritizes mood over narrative momentum, which some may find thin. Novelty is present in Kore-eda's signature delicate humanism and the manga adaptation's specificity of place and feeling, though it doesn't fully depart from his established formula. The ending is characteristically understated and emotionally honest but stops short of providing a truly memorable or resonant concluding statement.