Shoplifters won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in 2018. The reviews were glowing. The words \"found family\" and \"poverty\" appeared in almost all of them. And most of them described a film that is significantly less interesting than the one Kore-eda actually made. This episode makes the case that Western criticism landed on the warmth and missed the argument — and that the argument, which is cold and specific and directed at the Japanese state, is the reason the film is essential.
","author_name":"Required Watching"}