LIKE FATHER LIKE SON plays TIFF 2013

When it comes to selecting films from the massive amount of titles at a festival, one good barometer is to look at the filmmakers’ canon. Have they recently made a film you liked, or one you heard good things about? Odds are they have something good in store for you with their latest effort.

This particular methodology was what brought me to LIKE FATHER LIKE SON, directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. He was the Japanese storyteller behind I WISH, which I heard nothing but good things about at TIFF 2011. The lead was a good one, as LIKE FATHER LIKE SON unspooled in all its heartfelt glory.

The film begins by introducing us to Ryota and Midori (Masaharu Fukuyama and Machiko Ono), and their only son, Keita. As they are preparing Keita for his first year at private school, they receive a curious call from the hospital where he was born six years prior. It turns out that DNA tests confirm that another couple was given the wrong baby six years prior, and because Keita was born in the same hospital on the same day, there is now a question over whether or not he is Ryota and Midori’s offspring.

The very nature of parenting is explored from both sides of the parent/child relationship. We see just how much children have it over adults where adaptation is concerned, and we’re led to question if we are a product of our upbringing or our genetic code. The film beautifully depicts two very different social classes of family; one that is cramped into tiny quarters, and one that is affluent and wants for nothing. Of course, counter to the sorts of dynamics this should create, we quickly understand that good parenting is not affected or measured by social status…only time and love.

The film is truly splendid, creating an unconventional family portrait filled with sweet sorrow. It examines the effect of legacy and discipline on a child, but does so with a great deal of humour and charm. Despite the difficult predicament these families have been put in – with their children being caught in the middle – we never feel as though we are being manipulated. Instead we’re left to ask what we would do.

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON is a delightful surprise, and a movie with a lot to say about children, parents, and what happens when children become parents. It’s not to be missed.