Often times, the most magical of films emerge from the simplest of places. Such is the case with Hirokazu Koreeda's wondrous, modern day classic, I Wish. A modest, small scale affair with no major special effects, the film excels due to Koreeda's exceptional gift for crafting realism in a work of fiction. While quiet and reserved for the most part, I Wish is just as much a wild adventure ride as J.J. Abrams' Super 8, only it doesn't need giant monsters or a reliance on nostalgia to be an exhilarating experience. Simply put, I Wish is one of the best movies about kids ever made.
Continuing the trend that has followed his career, Koreeda reaches for that little something extra to make his film as authentic as possible. For those who saw his heartbreaking 2004 film, Nobody Knows, then you'll recognize the added touch right away. There's an indescribable bond between 12-year old Koichi and his younger brother, Ryunosuke. You can sense it from the first time they speak, even though it's merely over the telephone. That feeling comes from the two leads being real life brothers(Koki and Oshiro Maeda), and that familiarity and love springs forth from them in every scene, which makes the tougher moments all the more poignant.
Set in Japan, the two brothers are separated by a massive distance, and not all of is purely in terms of miles. The inquisitive and professorial Koichi lives with their mom and grandparents in Kyushu. On the other side of the map, the jovial Ryunosuke lives with their father in Hakata. The two brothers remain close, even as the emotional gulf between their parents only widens. Their father is an aspiring rock star, who seems to be as much as child as his sons in a lot of ways. Their mother is strong, but aimless when it comes to guiding her own life.
On the surface, both brothers want to be reunited. They want to have their parents and the whole family back together again. In another director's hands, this would end up looking some wacky foreign version of The Parent Trap, but I Wish is something completely different. Koreda, who also wrote the script, actually gets the way kids think and speak. They are unpredictable in a way nobody could ever hope to describe, and speak the truth completely as they it. There is a refreshing honesty to this film that will overtake you when you least expect it.As a volcano looms constantly in the distance, Koichi learns that a bullet train is being built that could help facilitate a reunion, he comes up with the sort of idea that only a kid could conjure up. If he and his brother are both present when the two trains cross each other, they could make a wish that would put their families back together again. But before all of that can happen, there's still a lot of work to do, and in the process we see the brothers change and evolve in their opinions over time. We get a sense of one's loneliness, and the other's desperation. No artificial roadblocks emerge to stand in their way, every hurdle they must overcome surfaces entirely from the decisions they make. The journey they finally undertake is a bittersweet one, full of hope, promise, and sadness. All of Koreeda's films in some way deal with the issue of loss and regret, and this is certainly no different.
While some may argue that not much happens in the story, that couldn't be further from the truth. Every single day is an adventure in the lives of these characters, and every decision is a life altering one to them. That's how kids are. Everything seems important, whether it's wondering if the volcano will erupt, or if a certain dessert treat has enough flavor. While some of the concerns presented are uniquely Japanese, the themes will be understood and felt by all.
As time goes on, hopefully Koreeda will come to be recognized as the master filmmaker he truly is. His films show a level of intimacy and sensitivity that few can match, and his ability to just "get" children should put him right up there with Francois Truffaut, Steven Spielberg, and Stephen King.
