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An Elemental Cinema Re-examined: Manbiki kazoku/Shoplifters, 2018

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The Films of Kore-eda Hirokazu

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Abstract

Set in a shitamachi (lower-class) section of Tokyo, Manbiki kazoku/Shoplifters (2018) paints a portrait of an unusual “extended family” who reflect the precarity in contemporary Japanese society. All of the elements (water, fire, earth, air) are called into play in this award-winning tale of abandonment and love among those who are often considered “invisible.”

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Ehrlich, L.C. (2019). An Elemental Cinema Re-examined: Manbiki kazoku/Shoplifters, 2018. In: The Films of Kore-eda Hirokazu. East Asian Popular Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33051-4_15

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