Like Father, Like Son

An emotionally closed off businessman and his wife learn the young son they have been parenting is not their own, having been switched at birth, the result of improper maternity ward tagging. Having been put in contact with the family raising their biological son (and thus the true parents of his own son), arrangements are made for each couple to spend time with each child on weekly basis until it is decided which boy will reside in which household. From Japanese director Hirokazy Koreeda, Like Father, Like Son is heartfelt, resonating material which boasts excellent performances and is told at a measured, perhaps a little too measured, pace

*** 1/2 out of ****

I Wish

Two brothers, separated by divorce, receive a beacon of hope that their parents will reunite when they learn that newly constructed bullet train will connect their two villages. I Wish is a well made film that tells a sweet story, and although I was admittedly distracted when I watched, I simply could not connect with it. For such  an unstructured, low plot, family film, there is no need to drag it out to a running length of almost two hours and ten minutes, and this movie continually tried my patience and will certainly have younger viewers pulling their hair out.