The Films of Hirokazu Koreeda

Catalog description

The Japanese film director Hirokazu Koreeda (b.1962) has recently come into the international limelight with his Palme d’Or-winning and Oscar-nominated Shoplifters (2018). Koreeda is one of the most prominent and active Japanese directors of our time and has been creating thought-provoking films for nearly three decades. His films often focus on family relationships and subtle emotional webs among people, as well as social issues inherent in contemporary Japan. In this course, students will watch selected major works and analyze their themes and the characteristics of Koreeda’s cinematic style through class discussion, reading and writing. In doing so, students will also widen and enrich their perspectives on contemporary Japanese people, society, and culture, and gain an opportunity to reflect on human nature and life.