«A Family Affair», a great film despite its boredom

Cinema Wednesdays - Loris S. Musumeci

A family affair, is a story of family, theft, tenderness and secrets. Osamu is the head of an underprivileged family of five who live in a room that looks like a rat hole. As an honest man, he not only works on a daily basis to carry out measured burglaries, but also trains his son in this activity. 

In fact, it's on their way back from a little robbery, which gave them the pleasure of buying some delicious croquettes, that father and son find a little girl alone on a terrace. The little girl is so touching, they take her in. At home, she becomes everyone's joy, and never wants to return to her abusive parents. But this merry-go-round can't go on forever. 

The film won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. And a fine Palme it is, they say. Indeed, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda no longer has much to prove in the art world. He is beloved because his cinema touches hearts through intelligence, not exclusively through feelings. He also applies his screenwriting talents to an inexhaustible and universal subject: the family. 

A family affair has many more qualities than just its webbed aura. The play of sounds punctuates the sequence of actions without making them faster or slower, or imposing the mood of the scene. Music and sound simply support the image, which is central. This is above all due to the lighting. Sublime. From white sunshine to nocturnal darkness, to the damp, greenish light of a rainy Japan, the photography is a real treat. 

As for the subject matter, there's no innovation, but a great deal of talent for articulating the family with an overflowing joy that seems to be an integral part of its identity. Material and moral misery fully envelops the family, yet there's so much laughter, carefreeness, smiles and peace. Despite all this, the film's second half is less jovial and, in my opinion, a cinematic failure. If A family affair is still a great film by a great director, the fact remains that the last part of the film plunges the viewer into a state of unparalleled boredom. Too bad, but keep that last remark to yourself; it's a family affair.  

Write to the author : loris.musumeci@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Cineworx