I'm sure there is some truth in it, but the film chose a quite cynical view on the judiciary system: no one tells or cares about the truth in the courtroom. So what is the 3rd murder? To me, it is the death sentence given to Misumi by such a system, but Koreeda leaves it to each of us to decide who Misumi is, what is the motivation of his puzzling actions, and who actually murdered the factory owner. This film reminded me of Kurosawa's "Rashomon" in the sense that both directors tried too hard, and the delivery is a bit too heavy handed.
Koreeda tackled a new genre in this film, but still weaved in the struggle to be a father, or rather his guilt of being an absent father: the theme most notably expressed in "Like father like son" and in some way in "After the Storm".
I miss the poignant ambiguity of "Maborosi" and gentleness of "After Life" but I'm happy to see him explore something new. Not a bad film, and it certainly deserves a little better rating than current 6.7 out of 10.
Koreeda tackled a new genre in this film, but still weaved in the struggle to be a father, or rather his guilt of being an absent father: the theme most notably expressed in "Like father like son" and in some way in "After the Storm".
I miss the poignant ambiguity of "Maborosi" and gentleness of "After Life" but I'm happy to see him explore something new. Not a bad film, and it certainly deserves a little better rating than current 6.7 out of 10.