I Wish (2012)

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

A group of children walking in an unfamiliar landscape stop to gaze in rapture at a garden full of colourful flowers. For a moment they seem to have forgotten the reason they have taken their journey; one lovely moment among many in Hirokazu Kore-eda's "I Wish," a meditation on how children would like their world to be that little bit better. The film has taken quite a while to reach this point. In a rather meandering exposition the elder of two brothers separated geographically by a family split comes to realise that his greatest wish is for them to be reunited again. He even wonders whether the smouldering volcano that dominates the town might one day burst, causing the mass exodus that could end in physical relocation and reconciliation. He paints a picture of the eruption, places it on a high point of his wall and gazes up at it from his bed. During the development that follows be excitedly learns that the passing of the two bullet trains on a newly constructed line joining his town and his brother's generates at their point of passing a force so powerful that anyone standing beside the track will have their wish come true - the very stuff of fairy tale here translated into a realistic contemporary setting. When both brothers gather together a few friends to make their collective wishes come true what has until then been a rather slow footed film cluttered with non-essentials suddenly springs to life. The two groups travelling from their two towns towards each other on their local line meet up at a country station. From this point there is magic in the storytelling. What I admire most about Kore-eda is his honesty. In real life not every wish can come true but every so often there can come about a coincidence that can in itself be something of a miracle. Here it takes the form of the children's chance encounter with very human "good fairies." the elderly couple who see in one of the girls a resemblance to a daughter whose company they no longer enjoy. This is just enough to get the children to the one place where they can be close enough to the bullet trains to scream their wishes. The rest of the films is the quietest of codas as the children return home with perhaps a wiser view of the world than when they set out.

Two young brothers, Kouichi and Ryuunosuke live apart in Fukuoka and Kagosima because of there parent's divorce. One day they know about a rumour that the person who sees the two new bullet trains passing each other for the first time gains his dream, and they plans to see it to make their wish to live together with their family again. With few friends of them, they goes to their meeting point. This film is very nice. We can see two brother's strong wish and their grow up in their spirits through the trip clearly. However, if I could say one thing, I want to see more about their past, or their life with their parent after they live apart. I could see their desire to live with their family again, but I could not see much trouble or conflict. However other than this, I think this film is very good and moving film.

Hirokazu Koreeda's 'I Wish' sees real-life brothers Koki and Ohshirô Maeda play Koichi and Ryu, two brothers who are geographically split in Japan by their parents who have split up. Twelve year old Koichi stays with his mother Nozomi (Nene Ohtsuka), who has returned home to Kagoshima to live with her parents. Ryu lives with his laid-back father Kenji (Jô Odagiri) in Osaka, who's's pursuing his ambitions as a musician.No mention is made of why Nozomi and Kenji had split up, or why the brothers were split themselves to live with one parent. I can only surmise that the arrangement was temporary, so each parent had equal parental duties. Kagoshima is under the imposing shadow of a live volcano which is threatening to erupt, which fascinates Koichi. Although 'I Wish' has a plethora of characters who are young and old, the focus is on young Koichi and Ryu. Koichi is the more introspective son, Ryu is easygoing and smiles a lot between those gap-teeth of his.Koichi and Ryu regularly call each other to keep in touch, but rarely see each other. News of a new bullet trains imminent arrival spurs Koichi into action, he's heard that anyone who witnesses the exact moment where two bullet trains pass one another will have their wishes granted. Koichi and Ryu hatch a plan to meet up and attempt to witness this passing, hoping to restore their family back together again.'I Wish' is an honestly portrayed and deeply moving film, brimming with energy and intelligence, with not an ounce of sentimentality. There's plenty of subtle comical moments used to charming effect, Ryu's chat with his father about child support in particular is hilarious. Koreeda's astute direction is as light as the traditional sponge cakes that the boys' grandfather makes, and there's a purpose and meaning in the tiniest details and movements. Koreeda manages to knit together so many characters and their individual struggles with warmth and precision, with two stunning performances from Koki and Ohshirô Maeda.Above all, Koreeda realistically shows that life merely carries on as normal and everyone adapts. Neither Nozomi or Kenji are bad parents, they've merely changed to the point where they've realised their incompatibilities cannot be sustained together. Some things happen which cannot be explained, as Kenji said to Ryu, "There's room in this world for wasteful things. Imagine if everything had meaning. You'd choke."

I first saw this at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. It was so good that I watched it again when it was publicly released.What was your dream when you were small? To be a dancer? To be an actor? To marry your teacher? To run faster? To reunite with your family after your parents' separation? For 12-year-old Koichi (Koki Maeda), his dream was for the volcano in Kagoshima to explode so he could go back to Osaka with his mom and live with his dad and younger brother Ryunosuke (Oshirou Maeda). Koichi accidentally heard that miracles happened when the first north and south bound bulletin trains passed each other in Kyushu. Elated, he called his younger brother in Osaka to plan for this secret rendezvous. What is appealing of the film is that it is totally carried by the children cast. Even grandpa, mama, teachers and strangers on the road were on their side – everyone was kind and everyone had their own dream. Grandpa was determined to try making his exclusive desert karukan. Mama missed his younger son but was too proud to get back with her husband. The teachers were all so kind to go along with the kids' kind lies. What I admire is how autonomous the children were in this movie. Not only did they have a dream, but they also actually developed a plan to realize their dream: Koichi and his friends looked for changes under the vending machines. When they found out it was not enough, they sold their toys and comic books and even gave up their swimming tuition. Then they made a detailed itinerary complete with train schedule and maps. The important point was their parents gave them a lot of freedom to do what they want.It did not come to my mind that the two brothers are real brothers behind the screen until I saw their old pictures in the later part of the movie. No wonder there were such strong resonance between them. All the characters were lovable in the film, even if they lie, even if they were too trusty - because they all have dreams and they believe in them. The message is also very positive: when there is dream, there will be miracles and things will fall into places. Even if miracles did not happen, we would be glad that we tried. A feel-good movie at the highest level. And it is exactly what Japan needs to rebuild itself from the ruins after the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.