After the Storm

• Shinoda Ryôta: I'm not... who I want to be yet. But, you know, it doesnt matter whether I've become what I wanted. What matters is to live my life trying to become what I want to be. Because Koreeda's films are about how people will basically do anything to help those they love, that even people in bad situations, whether they're there by choice or not, will try their best to help someone they love. After the Storm addresses the fact that there's always time to fix things, to rebuild, to share memories and thoughts, to learn new things. Despite the sometimes unbearable protagonist Ryoto, you sit there and wonder why you can't just make an effort to be better for your son. Everything he does, he does for his son, for better or for worse. He loves his son and wants to do good for him. He can't give his son everything he thinks he deserves, but he tries, sharing memories discounted rice cakes. Ryoto believes his own father hates him for his life and career choices. From the little we learn about the grandfather, a man they had to hide their money from and who would show up and beg his children for cash, but also the man who bought lottery tickets with his son, the man who kept his son's book in a safe place because he knew his son would succeed, the man who gave out free copies because he wanted people to read it. The things parents pass on to their children can be simple and small, because we learn to be human first by watching and learning from our parents. The handwriting and the gambling addiction Ryoto seems to inherit from his mother and father respectively. But also the memories and traditions and love that come with each of those things. I went into this movie assuming the storm was going to be a bigger issue, and about halfway through I thought is this a metaphorical storm. (It's the last half hour of the movie). But the journey there and the characters are absolutely worth it. Because After the Storm is about how the storm destroyed everything and you have a chance to rebuild it. Most of the relationships in this movie never fully heal. But the fact that they try anyway means there's a chance.