Hirokazu Kore-Eda is one of the most elegant voices in cinema. From Still Walking to Nobody Knows, his films all have one common theme: At the very centre of it, they are human. Each one provides a form of meditation. Whether we see a misfit family adopt an abandoned girl (Shoplifters) or three girls welcome their younger sister to their house (Our Little Sister), the slow pace and sporadically added “normal conversations which don’t move the story on” make each of his films quite meditative.

I Wish provides a new story where two brothers live far apart. The elder brother Koichi lives with his mother and Ryu, the younger brother lives with his father. They both live in different cities and Koichi wants for the family to be reunited more than anything. Ryu meanwhile is more indifferent, remembering how unhappy they all were together. His older brother considers this naive as Ryu uses his food he’s been planting as an excuse not to reunite his family and to cover his emotions.

Koichi thinks he finds away to get the family back together. The volcano where he lives is spewing ash and he knows that if lava comes out, he, his mother and his grandparents would need to move back to their father. He does all he can to wish it true before hearing that if you see two trains cross, you get a miracle. From here, he, Ryu and their friends all arrange to meet where the two bullet trains cross so they can all cast their wishes. These vary from becoming an actress, being able to run faster and a dog coming back to life.

The film treads a line between a fantasy fairytale and a coming of age story meaning that when they make their wishes you’re not quite sure whether they’re going to happen. Every child and adult in this story treat the idea of miracles differently, allowing the childish nature to come through. We see a film of hope.

The first hour or so is quite a slow burner. We are slowly introduced to the brothers, their friends and their parents and how it all interlinks. The second part of the film where they go to see the train is where the magic starts. It’s has shades of The Florida Project about it as we stick strictly with the children’s points of view.

The whole movie has quite an upbeat theme with a 60’s rock sort of soundtrack instead of Kore-Eda’s usual style keeping you bouncing through towards a satisfying conclusion.

Summary

I Wish provides a peaceful emotionally engaging watch around two children from a broken home wanting to re-unite more than anything. It doesn’t rush and is a beautifully understated story about hope. [Grade: B+]

Watch it here