I Wish

After their parents separate, two brothers are split apart: they end up living in different cities and miss each other deeply. One day, the older brother hears a schoolyard legend that if you make a wish at the exact point where two high-speed trains pass each other, it will come true — and he begins to plan a journey.

Interestingly, the film was originally conceived as an advertisement for Japan’s high-speed rail network. This inevitably brings to mind Wim Wenders: his Perfect Days also began as a commercial project and ultimately became an Oscar-nominated film.

Hirokazu Kore-eda is one of the most prominent directors in Japan — and certainly one of our favorites. His films are always deeply moving and almost always centered on family and the relationships within it.