Distance

Distance is the film that brought Kore-eda recognition, and also a film that makes one thing clear: the filmmaker is at his best when his exploration of intimate and family ties mirrors a broader view of his country and life in society. Marked in 1995 like all his generation by the Aum sect, Kore-eda films in a closed space pierced by flashbacks the impossible dialogue between those who lost someone close in the tragic end of the sect and a repentant cult member. Thanks to the hand-held camera, at odds with the serenity of the place, this chorus of wrecked characters vibrates and, later, a silent questioning on happiness and self-fulfilment resonates – questions that the filmmaker leaves us to ponder within ourselves. AR