Shoplifters

Beautifully shot and composed, fable-like in its unraveling. Tolstoy’s “unhappy family” quote comes to mind in the excruciating manner that this family falls apart. I couldn’t even cry I just felt so awful. An incredible movie. The only reason I can’t give five stars is the pacing toward the end didn’t gel with me and there was maybe a tad of ickyness about the way it dealt with women and poverty - just not sure if it’s a case of depicting a harsh reality or questionable storytelling decisions. This film is a unique family tragedy the likes of which I’m confident could not exist in Hollywood - Americans want happy endings, death, martyrdom or sacrifice, rather than the collapse and quiet disintegration of chosen family. An ending that will stay with you and leave a lump in your throat.