Like Father, Like Son

Movie Details:

Cast & Characters:

• Masaharu Fukuyama as Ryōta Nonomiya
• Machiko Ono as Midori Nonomiya
• Keita Ninomiya as Keita Nonomiya
• Shôgen Hwang as Ryūsei Saiki
• Yōko Maki as Yukari Saiki
• Lily Franky as Yūdai Saiki
• Jun Fubuki as Nobuko Nonomiya
• Isao Natsuyagi as Ryōsuke Nonomiya
• Jun Kunimura as Kazushi Kamiyama
• Kirin Kiki as Riko Ishizeki

Storyline:

Would you choose your natural son, or the son you believed was yours after spending 6 years together? Kore-eda Hirokazu, the globally acclaimed director of “Nobody Knows”, “Still Walking” and “I Wish”, returns to the big screen with another family – a family thrown into torment after a phone call from the hospital where the son was born… Ryota has earned everything he has by his hard work, and believes nothing can stop him from pursuing his perfect life as a winner. Then one day, he and his wife, Midori, get an unexpected phone call from the hospital. Their 6-year-old son, Keita, is not ‘their’ son – the hospital gave them the wrong baby. Ryota is forced to make a life-changing decision, to choose between ‘nature’ and ‘nurture.’ Seeing Midori’s devotion to Keita even after learning his origin, and communicating with the rough yet caring family that has raised his natural son for the last six years, Ryota also starts to question himself: has he been a ‘father’ all these years…

About Movie:

Like Father, Like Son (Japanese: そして父になる, Soshite Chichi ni Naru) is a Japanese drama film written, directed, and edited by Hirokazu Kore-eda. The film stars Masaharu Fukuyama in his first role as a father and revolves around the emotional complexities of parenthood and identity.

Reception

Like Father, Like Son premiered at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2013, where it received a ten-minute standing ovation from the audience. It was nominated for the prestigious Palme d’Or and won the Jury Prize as well as a commendation from the Ecumenical Jury. The film’s success at Cannes led to an earlier national theatrical release in Japan on September 28, 2013.

Awards and Recognition

The film was also showcased at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and won several awards, including the Rogers People’s Choice Award at the Vancouver International Film Festival and the Wuaki.TV Audience Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Legacy

Critically acclaimed for its poignant storytelling and emotional depth, Like Father, Like Son has been recognized as one of Kore-eda’s significant works, further establishing his reputation as a master of contemporary Japanese cinema.

Budget & Box Office Collection: