Aruitemo Aruitemo (aka Still Walking) (2008)

Taking place in a 24 hour period (with a coda some years later), a family gathers together annually to honor a deceased son who drowned while saving a young boy's life. Directed by Hirokazu Koreeda, this exquisitely simple tale is the kind of film that's near impossible to describe and do it justice. It's a delicate ensemble piece that doesn't overplay its hand. Each character is perfectly delineated, even the smallest part like the obese young man who was saved and only has one scene in the film. Each line resonates with no excess "fat" or extraneous dialogue. All the performances are uniformly excellent but especially Abe Hiroshi on whose shoulders fall the most subtle and difficult performance. Koreeda's film has been compared to Yasijiro Ozu and a higher compliment I cannot give it. Filmed in the the city of Yokosuka, cinematographer Yutaka Yamazaki makes it look so inviting that I could fantasize about living there. With Yui Natsukawa, Kirin Kiki, Yoshio Harada and You (sic).