Our Little Sister (2015) Hirokazu Koreeda

If someone ruined your life, would you still go to their funeral?  What if it was your own father?  This is what sisters Sachi, Yoshino, and Chika must decide. In Our Little Sister (2015) by Hirokazu Kreeda, these grown women make the right choice to lay their father to rest. They meet the daughter that he left behind.  They invite her to live with them.  She’s alone now with a stepmother who cares little for her and no mother to protect her.  Suzu moves in with her three sisters and the rest of the film is a warming story about people getting to know each other and themselves through this young girl’s eyes. Sibling relationships are not easy to negotiate, but these sisters find a way to move forward and find a way to love each other and themselves.  Beautiful settings and subtle acting make for an emotional watch.

If you love quiet stories where seemingly ordinary moments carry enormous emotional weight, read Small Things Like These next. Claire Keegan also understands how much can be said through restraint, observation, and the choices people make when nobody is making a fuss about them. Read the review →

Chapter & Scene is your daily stop for cozy, intelligent reviews of books, movies, and TV shows. Each weekday we share a short, spoiler-free recommendation designed to help you discover your next great story. Whether you’re looking for a novel to curl up with, a binge-worthy series, or a film worth watching, our reviews combine thoughtful insight with genuine enthusiasm for storytelling. Subscribe to get fresh reviews delivered straight to your inbox, and explore our growing archive of book and screen recommendations.