Shoplifters

Synopsis

On the fringes of Tokyo, a dysfunctional family of day-laborers relies on petty shoplifting and the grandmother's meager pension to survive. After one of their successful shoplifting expeditions, Osamu and his son Shota stumble upon Yuri, a neglected and freezing four-year-old girl sitting on a balcony. Although hesitant at first, the family chooses to take her in after observing signs of severe domestic abuse. Despite their desperate financial circumstances and cramped living quarters, they quickly bond, providing Yuri with a warm, loving home she has never known. However, their fragile happiness is abruptly threatened when a missing person report appears on the news, prompting a police investigation that uncovers deep, dark secrets about the family's true ties and origins. Hirokazu Kore-eda's poignant, Palme d'Or-winning masterpiece offers a beautiful, heartbreaking exploration of what truly defines a family.