Arakçılar (Film)

Shoplifters (Original title: Manbiki Kazoku) is a 2018 Japanese film written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda. The film tells the story of a family in Tokyo’s outskirts who are bound not by blood but by choice. Making a living through petty thefts, the group takes in a young girl they find abandoned in the cold. This new member of the family inadvertently leads to the unraveling of their secrets and the testing of their bonds.

Shota Shibata (Jyo Kair), Scene from the Film (IMDb)

Plot

Osamu and Nobuyo are a couple working low-wage jobs in Tokyo. They live in a modest home with Nobuyo’s sister, who is introduced as “auntie” Aki, Hatsue, who is presented as the “grandmother,” and their adopted son Shota. Their livelihood is sustained by Hatsue’s pension and their regular petty thefts. One day, while returning from the market, Osamu and Shota encounter a small girl named Yuri, left alone in the cold. After initial hesitation, the family decides to take her in and gives her the name “Lin.”

From the outside, this group appears to be an ordinary family, but in reality, their connection is based not on kinship but on mutual choice and necessity. As their secrets gradually surface, the characters are forced to confront themselves, their pasts, and each other, questioning the very foundation of their chosen family.

Nobuyo (Sakura Andô) and Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), Scene from the Film (IMDb)

Cast and Characters

• Osamu Shibata (Portrayed by Lily Franky): The father figure of the family. He works temporary jobs and regularly commits petty thefts, teaching his tactics to Shota, who plays the role of his son.
• Nobuyo Shibata (Portrayed by Sakura Andô): Osamu’s wife. She works at a laundromat and plays a key role in the decision to bring Yuri into the family.
• Shota Shibata (Portrayed by Jyo Kair): The young boy in the family. He carries out the routine thefts and does not attend school, acting as Osamu’s assistant.
• Aki Shibata (Portrayed by Mayu Matsuoka): Nobuyo’s “sister,” another member of the family. She takes on various roles both inside and outside the home.
• Hatsue Shibata (Portrayed by Kirin Kiki): The elderly member of the family who plays the role of “grandmother.” Her late husband’s pension is a vital source of income for the household. Hatsue is central to the revelation of secrets and the questioning of familial bonds.
• Yuri (Lin) Hojo (Portrayed by Miyu Sasaki): The young girl who joins the family later. She has been neglected and abused by her biological family. Adopted by Osamu and Nobuyo, she is renamed “Lin.” Her presence strengthens the family’s internal ties while simultaneously triggering the exposure of their secrets.

Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), Scene from the Film (IMDb)

Themes

• Transformation of the Family Concept: The film interrogates the idea of family, centering on a chosen family formed by personal will rather than blood ties. Love, loyalty, and solidarity are paramount. The family institution is portrayed as a structure based on mutual support yet inherently fragile. The film poses the question to viewers: Is family fate or choice?
• Poverty: The characters’ reliance on temporary jobs, low incomes, and theft as a means of survival reflects the growing insecurity of life for the underclass. The film exposes the daily struggles of the working poor.
• Exclusion and Social Class: The family’s composition of low-income individuals cut off from society, their dependence on temporary work, and their lack of access to social safety nets or opportunities form a central dimension of the theme. Everyday exploitation, invisibility, and the living conditions of the underclass are palpable throughout the film.
• Moral Dilemmas: Osamu justifies theft by believing that items not yet purchased by someone cannot be considered owned. These small thefts are presented not merely as economic necessity but as a practice that challenges social and ethical boundaries.
• Space and Chaos: The family’s cluttered home, with its crowded rooms and lack of private spaces, functions as both a visual and thematic motif throughout the film. The house is not merely a shelter but a reflection of the characters’ psyches and relationships.
• Social Exclusion and Invisibility: Osamu and his family are marginalized figures in society. Their existence becomes visible only through lawbreaking or moments of crisis. The film emphasizes this exclusion both through space—edge neighborhoods, cramped homes—and through narrative.

Awards and Nominations