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Review: Like Father, Like Son (そして父になる) (2013)
This movie was an okay movie. The way it was shot was really aesthetically pleasing and the acting was really interesting, but there are parts of the story that didn't feel complete.
I'd recommend this movie more for the direction style. The story, though it raised discussion points, didn't feel totally complete. There was emotional range in the acting, but the writing prevented me from fully sympathizing with characters.
Spoilers.
Story
The story is pretty straightforward. Ryota and Midori found out their son was not their biological son. They made the difficult decision to swap back for their son, but by the end, they took back their original son.
One of my issues with the writing was the ending. I'm not sure whether it was decided off screen, but it came as a surprise that Ryusei and Keita were returned to their "original," non-biological fathers. Ryusei had always been attached to his family, so it wasn't a surprise that he'd been excited to return. It just felt so sudden when Ryota told Keita that he could come home now. Midori had said she'd felt she was betraying Keita because she also loved Ryusei, but I can see her being able to let Ryusei go because she knew how much he cared for his old family. As for Ryota, I guess he only noticed his flaws and inattention as a father after Keita had gone, and he felt regret, also because he was having trouble with Ryusei. And Keita seemed to forgive Ryota very easily? Keita was upset, but the decision for him to return seemed very one-sided, as Keita had adapted pretty well to his new home. I don't know, I just wasn't fully satisfied with how the ending was shown.
My other issues was that there were some side plots that wouldn't connect to anything else. After the first time Keita visited the Saiki family, Midori had asked him how he felt about running away. I'd thought that maybe Midori was thinking of running away with Keita, even away from Ryota. But nothing came from that.
In addition, it was revealed that Ryota had a tough relationship with his father (no surprise), but also that he was raised by a stepmother. It was also a bit of a surprise but his brother seemed to have a good and compromising relationship with their dad and stepmom. In theory, it should've been easy for Ryota to understand that parents are not always blood-related, and it seems it only took him until this ordeal to understand that.
I didn't expect the story to be complex because this movie was obviously about the emotional conflict, but the stray hairs were sticking out too much for me to consider this amazing story storytelling.
Production
As I mentioned, I really like the way the movie was directed. The emotions from the characters were somewhat muted, which I think is in line with Japanese culture, where politeness is paramount. So we had a lot of characters revealing different faces to different people, particularly in the case of Ryota who was more judgy than most of the others.
There was a lack of background music, which gave the movie a bit more of an organic feel. It wasn't boring, just quiet, and it really made me feel like I was there with the families as they spent time with their kids.
The acting was pretty good, though.
Characters
Nonomiya Ryota
The main character of the movie. He started the movie with the most conflict. Though he was a kind enough father, he also subconsciously struggled with the fact that his son wasn't competitive or ambitious, a go-getter like he was, and he chastised his wife for babying their son.
Ryota was also kind of materialistic, thinking that both boys would be better off with him because he wasn't struggling financially. He'd neglected the fact that he was hardly around to parent Keita, and Yudai had to point out to him that he'd spent more time with Keita on their weekends than Ryota had.
Ryota's poor fathering skills was attributed to his poor relationship with his father. Apparently, their relationship was so poor that he'd ran away once. This seemed a very convenient explanation to the point that it seemed like a cop out, especially considering the fact that his brother had a good relationship with their parents. He perhaps wasn't the perfect son, but the brother was able to compromise with their father and stepmother.
Perhaps Ryota had never accepted his stepmother while his brother did. Though she'd only shown kindness to Ryota, Ryota struggled to even call her mom. If I remember correctly, he just called her by her name.
Ryota listened to his father (despite his poor relationship with him) and proceeded with the son swap. His relationship with Ryusei was rocky at the start. Honestly, we saw this a mile away. From the first time we met the Saiki family, Ryota was a bit judgmental of their rowdy and "uncouth" ways. Ryusei hadn't grown up exposed to the sort of life that Ryota and Midori had given Keita, so it was going to take time. In addition, Ryusei was just a different kind of kid from Keita.
At last, Ryota made an effort to be the kind of parent that Ryusei needed, taking time away from his work to play with him and pretend to go camping. I guess you could say that it took getting Ryusei for Ryota to understand that you couldn't just throw money at a kid and hoped he grew up the way you wanted.
The big turning point was when Ryota saw the pictures on his camera that Keita had taken of him without him knowing. Keita always loved his parents, but Ryota was blind to it. He'd ruined the flower that Keita had given to him, though that memory was probably tarnished in Ryota's mind because Keita had also made a flower for Yudai. But when Ryota saw Keita's photos, I think he realized that he'd been ignoring Keita's love.
In the end, Ryota decided that it was best of they take Keita back. However, part of me feels like Ryota was doing it to atone, rather than because he thought he was the better parent for Ryota. Though Keita loved being with Ryota and Midori, he'd also fit in with Yudai and Yukari quite well. As for Ryota, he'd intended to take both boys at one point, but he realized that he could end up with no boys, seeing as how both were content with living with the Saiki family. So part of me felt like Ryota was trying to "recoup his losses," for lack of a better way to say it. Obviously I hope that that's not true, but the way the story was told made me feel that way.
Since Ryota was on screen the most, I probably saw the most flaws with him. Because of the imperfect writing, I ended up having a bigger issue with him than the others I guess.
Nonomiya Midori
Midori was the timid and caring housewife. She was chastised by Ryota for babying Keita too much, but I didn't think she overdid it.
Of course, for Midori, it was a very difficult choice to let go of Keita more so than Ryota, because she spent so much time with him. But it was a given that regardless of whose child she had, she'd always try her best to bond with them because she took her job as a mother very seriously. Thus, when Ryusei continued to not be able to bond with them, she took it very hard.
After bonding with Ryusei, Midori felt guilty because she started to care for the boy as well. She felt she was betraying Keita. This was a representation of the pain that the nurse had caused both families. Whether or not they swapped the boys, the parents would feel a sense of yearning and longing. Even if the Nonomiya family had kept Keita, a part of them would always miss Ryusei and what could have been, and if they'd swapped, they miss Keita and the years that they spent together.
I wish I saw more interactions between Midori and Yukari. They definitely had a more amicable relationship compared to the fathers. I think it was because they both had the same approach to their role as a mother. To them, blood didn't matter. As long as they were mothers, they'd take care of their charges. That being said, Midori was definitely the more soft-hearted of the two. She was very timid, especially in the face of her husband who liked authority.
Nonomiya Keita
Keita was a very mild-tempered and well-behaved boy. This behaviour was encouraged due to Midori's kindness, but Ryota found it to be a weakness. He was an ambitious and competitive man and he had probably hoped his son would be the same.
Keita adapted to the Saiki family very well because he was so well behaved. By no means were Yudai and Yukari bad people. Keita even said that he was afraid at first, but very soon, he saw that Yukari was very kind. The Saiki couple just had very different ways of showing their love, and Keita was pensive and thoughtful enough to notice it. Yudai and Yukari also loved Keita for who he was. They didn't expect him to take after themselves, nor did they expect him to be rowdy like their three other kids.
Swapping families was obviously a bit traumatic for Keita. When Ryota came back to ask for him, he was pretty upset. Like Yudai said, these kids were not pets, but even if they were pets, it was cruel to uproot them willy nilly.
I guess a part of Keita was angry at his father for not recognizing and accepting his love when he was his son, and now that he wasn't his son, he didn't have to be so emotionally attached to his man anymore. But obviously it wasn't easy to just suddenly not consider this man his father anymore, and that was why he willingly went back. That's my interpretation, but as I implied before, I don't think the movie did enough to explore Keita's side of the story. So that was why I didn't find his outburst at the end of the movie as convincing.
Saiki Yudai
Yudai was a less financially successful man than Ryota. He ran a shop that sold knick-knacks, and was also shown to be a great repairman. Ryota judged him because he was a bit inelegant, for lack of a better word. While Ryota was intent on keeping his image as a refined man, Yudai didn't mind getting all sweaty to play with his kids.
Ryota initially thought that Yudai and Yukari were money hungry, since they were always talking about how much damages they could get out of the hospital. I didn't love this story telling because after it became clear that they were actually good parents, the money issue was never brought up. It would've been smoother to have the couple mention it once, and have Ryota come to the conclusion himself.
Through Yudai and Ryota's conversations, Yudai tried to show and tell Ryota that being father meant spending time with his kids. Yudai was trying to do it in a friendly way, but it was clear that he judged Ryota for not having time to play with his kids.
Saiki Yukari
Yukari, like Midori, took her role as a mother very seriously. Midori was a lot more timid, whereas Yukari was the kind of person who'd stand up against something when it was appropriate.
Yukari was more aggressively protective of the kids. We saw this when Ryota came to pick up Ryusei from the Saiki house after running away, and Yukari mentioned that they could take care of two kids (implying that while Ryota had earlier thought of taking care of both kids, he didn't have the parenting skills to do that).
Saiki Ryusei
Ryusei was a much rowdier child than Keita, and it was a given that he'd be interested in different things. Keita enjoyed quieter and more individual activities, such as playing piano and photography. On the other hand, Ryusei like playing video games, running around, etc.
Ryusei had a very difficult time adjusting to his new home. He couldn't see Ryota and Midori as his parents, and still refused to do so even after they'd tried to have fun with him by pretend to be camping.
I think it was his attachment to his childhood home that prompted the switch back to the boys' original, non-biological parents.
Miyazaki Shoko
Shoko was the nurse who switched the babies. She was having issues with her own stepchildren, and took out her frustrations on the wealthiest family at the hospital.
The Nonomiya and Saiki families felt that she showed no remorse at all, only admitting to her faults after the statute of limitations had run out.
After the lawsuit was won, Shoko gave the Nonomiya and Saiki families some of her own compensation money. Ryota went to return the money, obviously feeling a bit disgusted. When confronting Shoko, her stepson came to defend her.
My instinctive response to that scene was a feeling of injustice. In a fit of frustration, Shoko had done irreversible damage to two families, and here she was with her own complete family with kids who loved her. But upon further thinking, this was supposed to spark some hope for Ryota. Shoko's non-biological children loved her fiercely, so there wasn't anything stopping Keita from loving Ryota that way as well.
Nonomiya Ryosuke
I'm like 99% sure this was Ryota's father. Anyway, he was portrayed as a bad father. He never did fun things with Ryota, which was why Ryota had such a rigid relationship with Keita. In addition, Ryosuke said that he always considered blood over everything else. Now that I think about it, it seemed a bit of a copout to have Ryosuke be the "root of all evil," as his decision solidified Ryota's decision to swap for Ryusei.
Nonomiya Nobuko
On the other hand, Nobuko tried to raise Ryota like her own. The thing is, even in adulthood, Ryota seemed to reject her as his mother figure. His brother had to convince him to try to call her mom. So I guess it was always a thing with Ryota that he had trouble bonding with those he had no blood relations with, to the point that he'd listen to his dad even though he disliked him so much.
Themes
Nature vs. Nurture
This was the most obvious theme. From the moment Ryota met the Saiki family, he saw that Ryusei took on habits that matched Yudai's such as biting on the straw. On the other hand, Keita was very mild-mannered like his wife Midori.
At this point, the only connection he had with Ryusei was their biological makeup, but Ryosuke convinced Ryota that as the kids grew older, they'd start to look like their biological parents, and it'd be hard to let them go then.
I think it's not much of a debate that most people would consider those that raised them to be their parents.
Parenting
When Ryota was walking through a forest, he was told that it took 15 years for the cicadas to grow up. Ryota thought it was a long time, but the guide didn't think so. This seemed a bit shoehorned in, but whatever. The point was that Ryota didn't understand the time and commitment it took to raise a child.
There was no question that Yudai had a much better relationship with his kids because he spent time with them, even when he was supposed to be working (i.e. during his idle time in the shop, bathing together, playing at the play area, etc. Though Yukari and Midori didn't get down and rough, they still went into the play area at the mall to interact with their kids and laugh with them, while Ryota sat at the eating area.
Again, this is hardly a moral debate, but spending more time interacting with your kids is good for them lol.
Compensation
The nurse's acting of switching the babies did indeed cause a lifetime of pain, especially since it came to light a whole six years after it happened, after the parents had so much time to bond with the children. As I mentioned, if Ryota and Midori didn't make the switch, a part of them would always yearn for Ryusei, and if they did make the switch, they'd miss Keita. This was a no-win situation for both sets of parents, only a better or worse situation.
After the lawsuit, the lawyer told Ryota that he wasn't sure who won and who lost. Even though the hospital owned up to the charges and paid damages, the pain and anguish that was caused to the Nonomiya and Saiki families were not anything that could ever be erased.
Honestly, the only thing they could do to atone was to pay up, because nothing else they could do would help the families get over lost time and lost opportunities.
Overall
As I mentioned, this was an okay movie, but the writing wasn't super convincing. I did really like the direction style though, which makes me think I should check out the rest of this director's work.
I'd recommend this movie more for the direction style. The story, though it raised discussion points, didn't feel totally complete. There was emotional range in the acting, but the writing prevented me from fully sympathizing with characters.
Spoilers.
Story
The story is pretty straightforward. Ryota and Midori found out their son was not their biological son. They made the difficult decision to swap back for their son, but by the end, they took back their original son.
One of my issues with the writing was the ending. I'm not sure whether it was decided off screen, but it came as a surprise that Ryusei and Keita were returned to their "original," non-biological fathers. Ryusei had always been attached to his family, so it wasn't a surprise that he'd been excited to return. It just felt so sudden when Ryota told Keita that he could come home now. Midori had said she'd felt she was betraying Keita because she also loved Ryusei, but I can see her being able to let Ryusei go because she knew how much he cared for his old family. As for Ryota, I guess he only noticed his flaws and inattention as a father after Keita had gone, and he felt regret, also because he was having trouble with Ryusei. And Keita seemed to forgive Ryota very easily? Keita was upset, but the decision for him to return seemed very one-sided, as Keita had adapted pretty well to his new home. I don't know, I just wasn't fully satisfied with how the ending was shown.
My other issues was that there were some side plots that wouldn't connect to anything else. After the first time Keita visited the Saiki family, Midori had asked him how he felt about running away. I'd thought that maybe Midori was thinking of running away with Keita, even away from Ryota. But nothing came from that.
In addition, it was revealed that Ryota had a tough relationship with his father (no surprise), but also that he was raised by a stepmother. It was also a bit of a surprise but his brother seemed to have a good and compromising relationship with their dad and stepmom. In theory, it should've been easy for Ryota to understand that parents are not always blood-related, and it seems it only took him until this ordeal to understand that.
I didn't expect the story to be complex because this movie was obviously about the emotional conflict, but the stray hairs were sticking out too much for me to consider this amazing story storytelling.
Production
As I mentioned, I really like the way the movie was directed. The emotions from the characters were somewhat muted, which I think is in line with Japanese culture, where politeness is paramount. So we had a lot of characters revealing different faces to different people, particularly in the case of Ryota who was more judgy than most of the others.
There was a lack of background music, which gave the movie a bit more of an organic feel. It wasn't boring, just quiet, and it really made me feel like I was there with the families as they spent time with their kids.
The acting was pretty good, though.
Characters
Nonomiya Ryota
The main character of the movie. He started the movie with the most conflict. Though he was a kind enough father, he also subconsciously struggled with the fact that his son wasn't competitive or ambitious, a go-getter like he was, and he chastised his wife for babying their son.
Ryota was also kind of materialistic, thinking that both boys would be better off with him because he wasn't struggling financially. He'd neglected the fact that he was hardly around to parent Keita, and Yudai had to point out to him that he'd spent more time with Keita on their weekends than Ryota had.
Ryota's poor fathering skills was attributed to his poor relationship with his father. Apparently, their relationship was so poor that he'd ran away once. This seemed a very convenient explanation to the point that it seemed like a cop out, especially considering the fact that his brother had a good relationship with their parents. He perhaps wasn't the perfect son, but the brother was able to compromise with their father and stepmother.
Perhaps Ryota had never accepted his stepmother while his brother did. Though she'd only shown kindness to Ryota, Ryota struggled to even call her mom. If I remember correctly, he just called her by her name.
Ryota listened to his father (despite his poor relationship with him) and proceeded with the son swap. His relationship with Ryusei was rocky at the start. Honestly, we saw this a mile away. From the first time we met the Saiki family, Ryota was a bit judgmental of their rowdy and "uncouth" ways. Ryusei hadn't grown up exposed to the sort of life that Ryota and Midori had given Keita, so it was going to take time. In addition, Ryusei was just a different kind of kid from Keita.
At last, Ryota made an effort to be the kind of parent that Ryusei needed, taking time away from his work to play with him and pretend to go camping. I guess you could say that it took getting Ryusei for Ryota to understand that you couldn't just throw money at a kid and hoped he grew up the way you wanted.
The big turning point was when Ryota saw the pictures on his camera that Keita had taken of him without him knowing. Keita always loved his parents, but Ryota was blind to it. He'd ruined the flower that Keita had given to him, though that memory was probably tarnished in Ryota's mind because Keita had also made a flower for Yudai. But when Ryota saw Keita's photos, I think he realized that he'd been ignoring Keita's love.
In the end, Ryota decided that it was best of they take Keita back. However, part of me feels like Ryota was doing it to atone, rather than because he thought he was the better parent for Ryota. Though Keita loved being with Ryota and Midori, he'd also fit in with Yudai and Yukari quite well. As for Ryota, he'd intended to take both boys at one point, but he realized that he could end up with no boys, seeing as how both were content with living with the Saiki family. So part of me felt like Ryota was trying to "recoup his losses," for lack of a better way to say it. Obviously I hope that that's not true, but the way the story was told made me feel that way.
Since Ryota was on screen the most, I probably saw the most flaws with him. Because of the imperfect writing, I ended up having a bigger issue with him than the others I guess.
Nonomiya Midori
Midori was the timid and caring housewife. She was chastised by Ryota for babying Keita too much, but I didn't think she overdid it.
Of course, for Midori, it was a very difficult choice to let go of Keita more so than Ryota, because she spent so much time with him. But it was a given that regardless of whose child she had, she'd always try her best to bond with them because she took her job as a mother very seriously. Thus, when Ryusei continued to not be able to bond with them, she took it very hard.
After bonding with Ryusei, Midori felt guilty because she started to care for the boy as well. She felt she was betraying Keita. This was a representation of the pain that the nurse had caused both families. Whether or not they swapped the boys, the parents would feel a sense of yearning and longing. Even if the Nonomiya family had kept Keita, a part of them would always miss Ryusei and what could have been, and if they'd swapped, they miss Keita and the years that they spent together.
I wish I saw more interactions between Midori and Yukari. They definitely had a more amicable relationship compared to the fathers. I think it was because they both had the same approach to their role as a mother. To them, blood didn't matter. As long as they were mothers, they'd take care of their charges. That being said, Midori was definitely the more soft-hearted of the two. She was very timid, especially in the face of her husband who liked authority.
Nonomiya Keita
Keita was a very mild-tempered and well-behaved boy. This behaviour was encouraged due to Midori's kindness, but Ryota found it to be a weakness. He was an ambitious and competitive man and he had probably hoped his son would be the same.
Keita adapted to the Saiki family very well because he was so well behaved. By no means were Yudai and Yukari bad people. Keita even said that he was afraid at first, but very soon, he saw that Yukari was very kind. The Saiki couple just had very different ways of showing their love, and Keita was pensive and thoughtful enough to notice it. Yudai and Yukari also loved Keita for who he was. They didn't expect him to take after themselves, nor did they expect him to be rowdy like their three other kids.
Swapping families was obviously a bit traumatic for Keita. When Ryota came back to ask for him, he was pretty upset. Like Yudai said, these kids were not pets, but even if they were pets, it was cruel to uproot them willy nilly.
I guess a part of Keita was angry at his father for not recognizing and accepting his love when he was his son, and now that he wasn't his son, he didn't have to be so emotionally attached to his man anymore. But obviously it wasn't easy to just suddenly not consider this man his father anymore, and that was why he willingly went back. That's my interpretation, but as I implied before, I don't think the movie did enough to explore Keita's side of the story. So that was why I didn't find his outburst at the end of the movie as convincing.
Saiki Yudai
Yudai was a less financially successful man than Ryota. He ran a shop that sold knick-knacks, and was also shown to be a great repairman. Ryota judged him because he was a bit inelegant, for lack of a better word. While Ryota was intent on keeping his image as a refined man, Yudai didn't mind getting all sweaty to play with his kids.
Ryota initially thought that Yudai and Yukari were money hungry, since they were always talking about how much damages they could get out of the hospital. I didn't love this story telling because after it became clear that they were actually good parents, the money issue was never brought up. It would've been smoother to have the couple mention it once, and have Ryota come to the conclusion himself.
Through Yudai and Ryota's conversations, Yudai tried to show and tell Ryota that being father meant spending time with his kids. Yudai was trying to do it in a friendly way, but it was clear that he judged Ryota for not having time to play with his kids.
Saiki Yukari
Yukari, like Midori, took her role as a mother very seriously. Midori was a lot more timid, whereas Yukari was the kind of person who'd stand up against something when it was appropriate.
Yukari was more aggressively protective of the kids. We saw this when Ryota came to pick up Ryusei from the Saiki house after running away, and Yukari mentioned that they could take care of two kids (implying that while Ryota had earlier thought of taking care of both kids, he didn't have the parenting skills to do that).
Saiki Ryusei
Ryusei was a much rowdier child than Keita, and it was a given that he'd be interested in different things. Keita enjoyed quieter and more individual activities, such as playing piano and photography. On the other hand, Ryusei like playing video games, running around, etc.
Ryusei had a very difficult time adjusting to his new home. He couldn't see Ryota and Midori as his parents, and still refused to do so even after they'd tried to have fun with him by pretend to be camping.
I think it was his attachment to his childhood home that prompted the switch back to the boys' original, non-biological parents.
Miyazaki Shoko
Shoko was the nurse who switched the babies. She was having issues with her own stepchildren, and took out her frustrations on the wealthiest family at the hospital.
The Nonomiya and Saiki families felt that she showed no remorse at all, only admitting to her faults after the statute of limitations had run out.
After the lawsuit was won, Shoko gave the Nonomiya and Saiki families some of her own compensation money. Ryota went to return the money, obviously feeling a bit disgusted. When confronting Shoko, her stepson came to defend her.
My instinctive response to that scene was a feeling of injustice. In a fit of frustration, Shoko had done irreversible damage to two families, and here she was with her own complete family with kids who loved her. But upon further thinking, this was supposed to spark some hope for Ryota. Shoko's non-biological children loved her fiercely, so there wasn't anything stopping Keita from loving Ryota that way as well.
Nonomiya Ryosuke
I'm like 99% sure this was Ryota's father. Anyway, he was portrayed as a bad father. He never did fun things with Ryota, which was why Ryota had such a rigid relationship with Keita. In addition, Ryosuke said that he always considered blood over everything else. Now that I think about it, it seemed a bit of a copout to have Ryosuke be the "root of all evil," as his decision solidified Ryota's decision to swap for Ryusei.
Nonomiya Nobuko
On the other hand, Nobuko tried to raise Ryota like her own. The thing is, even in adulthood, Ryota seemed to reject her as his mother figure. His brother had to convince him to try to call her mom. So I guess it was always a thing with Ryota that he had trouble bonding with those he had no blood relations with, to the point that he'd listen to his dad even though he disliked him so much.
Themes
Nature vs. Nurture
This was the most obvious theme. From the moment Ryota met the Saiki family, he saw that Ryusei took on habits that matched Yudai's such as biting on the straw. On the other hand, Keita was very mild-mannered like his wife Midori.
At this point, the only connection he had with Ryusei was their biological makeup, but Ryosuke convinced Ryota that as the kids grew older, they'd start to look like their biological parents, and it'd be hard to let them go then.
I think it's not much of a debate that most people would consider those that raised them to be their parents.
Parenting
When Ryota was walking through a forest, he was told that it took 15 years for the cicadas to grow up. Ryota thought it was a long time, but the guide didn't think so. This seemed a bit shoehorned in, but whatever. The point was that Ryota didn't understand the time and commitment it took to raise a child.
There was no question that Yudai had a much better relationship with his kids because he spent time with them, even when he was supposed to be working (i.e. during his idle time in the shop, bathing together, playing at the play area, etc. Though Yukari and Midori didn't get down and rough, they still went into the play area at the mall to interact with their kids and laugh with them, while Ryota sat at the eating area.
Again, this is hardly a moral debate, but spending more time interacting with your kids is good for them lol.
Compensation
The nurse's acting of switching the babies did indeed cause a lifetime of pain, especially since it came to light a whole six years after it happened, after the parents had so much time to bond with the children. As I mentioned, if Ryota and Midori didn't make the switch, a part of them would always yearn for Ryusei, and if they did make the switch, they'd miss Keita. This was a no-win situation for both sets of parents, only a better or worse situation.
After the lawsuit, the lawyer told Ryota that he wasn't sure who won and who lost. Even though the hospital owned up to the charges and paid damages, the pain and anguish that was caused to the Nonomiya and Saiki families were not anything that could ever be erased.
Honestly, the only thing they could do to atone was to pay up, because nothing else they could do would help the families get over lost time and lost opportunities.
Overall
As I mentioned, this was an okay movie, but the writing wasn't super convincing. I did really like the direction style though, which makes me think I should check out the rest of this director's work.