I Wish (2011)

Based on my exposure to a handful of his other films, I don’t expect Hirokazu Kore-eda’s direction to be as precious as it is here. Perhaps it’s the focus on children, primarily a pair of brothers who are having difficulties adjusting to being separated after their parents’ divorce, that makes for an overly cute film. The child actors all do a decent job holding the story, though I would have liked if there were a couple less of them as their stories and the wishes associated with them got muddled together. The soundtrack was a bit jarring to my American ears as it is similar to what I expect to invoke scenes of middle America, not the trains and scenery of Japan.