It would've felt exploitative and cheap if there had been any other method used. I think the film's subtlety and contemplative tone was certainly needed for this type of story. All of this is done very subtly, of course. They, very obviously, want to go back to the place they grew up on and to be with the people both of them know to be their parents, whether biological or not. Understandably enough, the kids don't really comprehend why they've been uprooted from their normal situation. They just know that they're being removed from the household they've known, Keita from his privileged household and Ryusei from his more modest but happier household. And how this affects the kids as well, they don't know what's going on. It brings up a lot of interesting questions about this type of situation and the pain it must bring to those involved. And I mean heartbreaking in the sense of what it must be like for the parents, who've spent six years caring and nurturing this child, growing to love him/her and then having the bombshell dropped that they were given the wrong child. But whereas others use the concept to tell a melodramatic story, this uses its more contemplative tone, a Hirozaku Koreeda trademark, to tell a thought-provoking character study that is heartbreaking without ever feeling exploitative. The film certainly has familiar themes, switched at birth, there's even a show that deals with this concept.
Enough of that however, this might be the best Japanese film I've seen since Departures, a film I gave a perfect rating to. So, as of now the rating is 4 stars, if it's 4.5 when I publish it then you'd know it was better than I originally thought it was. Regardless, sometimes as I write these reviews, upon going back and analyzing it, I end up liking the film more or less, obviously depending upon the quality of said film.
In the long run it doesn't really make a difference, nobody's gonna end up watching this film based on whether or not I give it 4 or 4.5 stars. I'm debating whether or not I should give the film 4 or 4.5 stars.
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