Maborosi

I have watched a handful of Koreeda's most recent films, so I decided to dive into one of his earlier creations: Maborosi (1995). This film is much darker than the others I have watched such as "Our Little Sister" and "Shoplifters." Koreeda plays with lighting, and often lingers on a scene long after the characters have exited. The film follows the seasons and is dark and depressing in the winter (the characters all wear black), and light and colorful in the spring (where the characters finally change their dark outfits). Most of the film seems to linger in the winter. Koreeda also depicts many of the characters in a shadowy gloom. Characters are often in the shadows with minimal lighting, further hidden by their black clothes. The story is really more depressing than I expected, with the shadows and themes speaking louder than the main character herself. The story follows a new mother who experiences the loss of loved ones multiple times in her life, and will never know why her loved ones have abandoned her. Her journey is dark and depressing, and the film left me also wondering in the end.