--- title: "Shoplifters" year: 2018 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/shoplifters" fi1m_id: "shoplifters" imdb_id: "tt8075192" tmdb_id: 505192 wikidata_id: "Q48765577" fi1m_score: 89 critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 21 published: "2026-09-16" updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:46.883400+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Shoplifters (2018) Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 2h 00m · MPA R · Drama, Crime, Thriller ## Identity Shoplifters - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/shoplifters - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** shoplifters - **IMDb ID:** tt8075192 - **TMDB ID:** 505192 - **Wikidata ID:** Q48765577 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8075192/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/505192, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48765577 **Fi1m score: 89** · Critics 86 from 21 reviews *In a sentence:* We kept worrying about the children and forgetting to disapprove of the theft > Hirokazu Kore-eda’s drama about a household surviving through theft is tender, funny and quietly troubling. We recommend it warmly, with one reservation: a few stretches linger after their point has landed. ## Synopsis In contemporary Tokyo, Osamu Shibata (Lily Franky) and Shota Shibata (Kairi Jo) help sustain a household through shoplifting. Nobuyo Shibata (Sakura Ando), Aki Shibata (Mayu Matsuoka) and Hatsue Shibata (Kirin Kiki) share a precarious domestic life with them. When they take in Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), a girl suffering abuse at home, caring for another child becomes part of the daily business of getting by. Osamu Shibata wants to keep the household together and supplied, but money is scarce and theft is part of its routine. Taking responsibility for Yuri also means making decisions they have no obvious right to make. ## Review Hirokazu Kore-eda’s *Shoplifters* is a warm, unsettling family drama that deserves the attention its quiet manner asks for. Its household survives partly through theft, and the film lets us enjoy the company of the people doing it before asking us to judge their care of children. That makes for a more demanding evening than a tidy story about decent people breaking bad laws. A few passages of domestic routine could have been shorter, but the film earns our concern without making its characters easy to defend. The arrival of Yuri (Miyu Sasaki), an abused girl taken into the household, gives that question a particular urgency. We were moved by the welcome she receives, because people who already struggle to get by still find room to care for her. Hirokazu Kore-eda does not require us to approve of everything else they do before allowing that care to count. He also leaves us uncomfortable about how much authority adults claim simply by deciding that they know what a child needs. Lily Franky makes Osamu Shibata likeable without making him a reassuring father figure. His affability matters: we understand the appeal of his company even when there are reasons to question his judgement. Sakura Ando is equally good as Nobuyo Shibata, allowing tenderness and self-interest to belong to the same person. Neither actor treats affection as proof that the household’s arrangements are good for everyone in it, and neither makes the moral complications look like an acting exercise. Ryuto Kondo’s carefully composed domestic frames keep our attention on people sharing space. The compositions encourage us to watch the household together, rather than wait for a close-up to identify the person who matters. Keiko Mitsumatsu’s production design keeps the household’s poverty present without making the home feel like an exhibit of deprivation. These domestic scenes allow us to notice how people live alongside one another, and the film’s concern with poverty remains attached to the people experiencing it. Kairi Jo, as Shota Shibata, and Miyu Sasaki keep the children from becoming handy endorsements of the adults. Their performances make us consider what this household offers a child, rather than simply accept the grown-ups’ affection as sufficient. Haruomi Hosono’s music helps sustain the gentleness without making theft or neglect seem quaint. The actors remain the main reason the film hurts, particularly Sakura Ando, whose warmth never quite removes our doubts about the care being offered. As editor as well as writer and director, Hirokazu Kore-eda gives everyday routines time to become familiar. Mostly that patience pays off, since concern for these people depends on knowing something of their ordinary company. Occasionally, though, a scene continues after we have understood the relationship it is showing us, and the two-hour running time begins to register. This is a modest reservation, but a film so attentive to small differences could trust us to recognise some of them a little sooner. As a family drama, *Shoplifters* asks rather more of us than picking the adults we like and hoping they prevail. We believe in the affection and still have good reason to worry about the children. Its humour allows these people to be enjoyable company without requiring us to treat their choices as harmless. Give it an evening when nobody needs the parents to be exemplary. *Fi1m score 89, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews are consistently positive about Shoplifters, with praise centred on Kore-eda’s patient direction and the ensemble’s warmth and restraint. Most critics admire how ordinary domestic routines make this makeshift family’s affection convincing without simplifying the ethics of its behaviour. Sakura Ando receives particular praise, while the cast’s small gestures and expressions are repeatedly noted for their emotional force. Critics also value the film’s attention to poverty and the gap between social rules and lived experience. Reservations are limited, and differences concern the degree of enthusiasm rather than fundamental disagreement. The Playlist finds that some writing and staging keep the viewer emotionally distant until the third act. Consequence notes minor pacing flaws but still finds the film moving and hopeful. Elsewhere, the same patience and gradual disclosure draw praise for allowing the family’s complexities to emerge without forcing the emotion. ## Straight answers **Is Shoplifters worth watching?** *Shoplifters* is worth watching for anyone who wants a family drama that asks more than picking the adults they like, and we scored it 89. Hirokazu Kore-eda makes a household surviving through theft warm, funny and hard to defend, with Sakura Ando and Lily Franky especially good. A few domestic scenes run on after their point has landed, but that is a modest reservation. **How long is Shoplifters, and what is it rated?** *Shoplifters* runs 2h 00m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and crime film. **Where can I watch Shoplifters in the US?** *Shoplifters* is streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel and Tubi in the US, and it is also available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $2.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Shoplifters, and is it suitable for children?** *Shoplifters* is a 15 in the UK and R in the US, and its difficulty is moral rather than violent or frightening. There is little on screen to alarm the squeamish, but the film concerns a girl taken in after abuse at home and adults whose care of children is open to question. It is not for young children; thoughtful teenagers may find it absorbing. **How does Shoplifters compare to The Kid?** *Shoplifters* and [*The Kid*](https://film.one/film/the-kid) both show an improvised family raising a child with almost nothing, and both use comedy to make the hardship matter. Chaplin's film is the warmer and more sentimental of the two, while Kore-eda leaves us uneasy about whether the affection on offer is good for the children. Choose *The Kid* for comfort and *Shoplifters* for an evening that asks harder questions. **What should I watch after Shoplifters?** After *Shoplifters*, try [*Nobody Knows*](https://film.one/film/nobody-knows) (2004, Fi1m 87): Another patient account of children making do when adults fail them. Then [*The Kid*](https://film.one/film/the-kid) (1921, Fi1m 84): An improvised family, empty pockets and comedy that makes the hardship matter; and [*A Separation*](https://film.one/film/a-separation) (2011, Fi1m 93): Competing duties turn a family’s private troubles into difficult questions about fairness. ### Reviews we read (24) - **RogerEbert.com**, Brian Tallerico (4/4): The critic praises Kore-eda's nuanced exploration of makeshift family bonds and gray areas of morality through shoplifting and care. The standout element is the deeply emotional final half-hour enabled by the ensemble cast's humanity. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shoplifters-2018) - **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★★): The critic hails it as the director's best film yet: fascinating, twisty and laser-focused melodrama with consummate, flawless film-making. They single out its delicate observation of a quirky clan of ne'er-do-wells and the ingenious way it upends expectations about family. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/shoplifters-review-c7hv3bwlf) - **Empire**, David Parkinson (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Kore-eda's Palme d'Or winner as an intricately scripted and impeccably played saga of an unconventional family unit, with influences from Ozu, Naruse and Mizoguchi. The cast's brilliance, especially in conveying emotional power through small gestures and expressions, is singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shoplifters-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (90/100, inferred): Turan calls the film a magical, wise triumph about an unconventional hustling family that deepens emotionally. He praises Kore-eda's quiet humanistic touch and the way it reveals the difference between societal values and actual lives. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-shoplifters-review-20181121-story.html) - **Sight and Sound**, Trevor Johnston (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Kore-eda's nuanced and immersive drama about a makeshift family, noting compassion in every frame and a masterfully light touch in exploring family bonds and social issues. Strong ensemble performances are highlighted for their depth and humanity. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-shoplifters-reveals-koreedas-masterfully-light-touch) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a brilliant and audacious work, one of Kore-eda's very best, that is rich, satisfying and deeply intelligent. They single out its complex, subtle exploration of family trauma, poverty and modern Japan's dysfunctions, with an extraordinary surprise ending. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/21/shoplifters-review-hirokazu-kore-eda) - **The Telegraph** (85/100, inferred): The review praises the film as thrilling and beautiful, Kore-eda's best since Still Walking, with complex plotting handled with dexterity. It highlights the poignant family dynamics among Tokyo's down-and-outs and moments of radiant humanity. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/shoplifters-reviewa-thrilling-beautiful-tale-toykos-down-and/) - **Vulture** (85/100, inferred): The film offers a subtly rich, patient portrait of an unconventional family on Tokyo's margins, praising Kore-eda's eye-level direction and the emotional weight of revelations about chosen family bonds, sacrifice, and the realities of poverty and loss. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/palme-dor-winner-shoplifters-a-family-on-the-margins.html) - **Little White Lies**, Beth Webb (4/4/4): The critic commends the richly humanistic portrait of an unconventional family unit, praising the stellar ensemble performances—especially Sakura Ando and young Miyu Sasaki—and Kore-eda's skill in conveying quiet devastation amid everyday routines. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/shoplifters) - **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): The critic describes a masterful ensemble piece about a 'family' living on its wits, noting the deft command of tone that wrong-foots the audience into smiling through a heartbreaking film and a steely critique of society's failings. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/shoplifters-cannes-review/5129318.article) - **Time Out**, Geoff Andrew (4/5): The critic says Kore-eda reinforces his status as a modern-day Ozu with another rich humanist drama, praising insights into Japan's socio-economic system, the sense of community, and the charming, funny, affecting tough-but-tender tone without romanticising the characters. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/shoplifters) - **Variety**, Maggie Lee (80/100, inferred): Lee describes the film as charming yet heart-wrenching, returning to socially conscious themes while examining makeshift family cohesion amid poverty. She singles out the exquisite performances, especially Sakura Ando's, for their humanity and tenderness. [Read](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/shoplifters-review-manbiki-kazoku-1202809298/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Deborah Young (75/100, inferred): The critic praises Kore-eda's subtle portrayal of a makeshift family of thieves who provide a warmer home for an abused girl than her biological parents, highlighting the contrast between societal norms and their affectionate, if criminal, life. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/shoplifters-review-1111546/) - **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen: Kore-eda dramatizes the insidious ordinariness of poverty through a struggling family's bonds forged via petty crime and informal adoption; the review highlights the carefully composed domestic scenes that blend naturalism with emotional stylization and the later tough revelations about family lies and sacrifice. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/shoplifters/) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (Critic's Pick): Dargis highlights the film's sensitive portrait of a thieving, affectionate household on society's edge and its refusal to simplify family complexities. She singles out Kore-eda's calibrated, self-effacing direction that allows emotions to emerge naturally. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/movies/shoplifters-review.html) - **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (5/5): A worthy winner of the Palme d'Or, this is a compassionate and complicated love letter to family and the secrets and lies which accompany them. The central performances are superb, especially Sakura Ando, with Kore-eda creating a contemporary parable about what it is to be a family. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/shoplifters-review/) - **Den of Geek**, Mark Harrison (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film terrific and transfixing, praising its sympathetic characters and the emotional intrigue built through family dynamics and secrets. They single out the director's skill at eliciting strong emotional responses through subtle means while exploring unconventional family bonds. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/shoplifters-review-one-of-the-years-best-films/) - **The Ringer**, Manuela Lazic (90/100, inferred): The critic celebrates the film's radical defense of chosen families and critique of capitalism, emphasizing the tender, generous portrayal of everyday life and bonds among the outsiders. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2018/11/27/movies/shoplifters-hirokazu-kore-eda-review) - **The Playlist**, Jordan Ruimy (B+): Kore-eda finds empathy and grace in family again in this intimate drama about a makeshift family of shoplifters who take in an abused girl. The film balances problematic moral considerations with charming vibrancy and simple moments captured with sincerity, though some writing and staging elements distance the viewer emotionally until the third act. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/shoplifters-hirokazu-kore-eda-review-20180520/) - **Consequence** (80/100, inferred): The critic praises Kore-eda's exploration of chosen family bonds over blood relations and highlights the systemic issues of poverty, calling it moving and oddly hopeful despite minor flaws in pacing. [Read](https://consequence.net/2018/11/film-review-shoplifters/) - **Eye for Film**, Richard Mowe (4/5): Kore-eda views family relationships with a quiet paternalistic eye, imbuing the film with gentle observation and a measured, unhurried pace. Despite the dysfunctional nature of this family, they manage to be caring and loving, with a tone that is both humorous and heart-rending. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/shoplifters-2018-film-review-by-richard-mowe) - **/Film**, Andrew Todd (80/100, inferred): Shoplifters is a humble Palme d'Or winner about an unconventional found family living on the margins through petty crime, which raises complex ethical questions about belonging and what constitutes family. It features honest performances, well-observed drama, and an understated style that rewards with revelations in the third act, offering no easy answers. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/561665/shoplifters-review/) - **The Wrap**, Ben Croll (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the film Kore-eda's richest to date, praising its mature handling of family themes through understated confidence and patient elegance. He singles out the narrative developments that deepen the story's emotional and thematic heft without feeling like cheap twists. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/shoplifters-cannes-review-seventh-time-charm-hirokazu-kore-eda/) - **Paste**, Andy Crump (8.9): The critic lauds the film's empathetic portrayal of a makeshift family surviving through shoplifting and questions societal definitions of family, noting the joy amid hardship and strong ensemble performances. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/shoplifters/shoplifters) ## Details - **Director:** Hirokazu Kore-eda - **Director:** Hirokazu Kore-eda - **Screenplay:** Hirokazu Kore-eda - **Cinematography:** Ryuto Kondo - **Editor:** Hirokazu Kore-eda - **Music:** Haruomi Hosono - **Production design:** Keiko Mitsumatsu - **Costume design:** Kazuko Kurosawa - **Producer:** Hirokazu Kore-eda, Kaoru Matsuzaki, Akihiko Yose - **Cast:** Lily Franky as Osamu Shibata; Sakura Andō as Nobuyo Shibata; Mayu Matsuoka as Aki Shibata; Kairi Jo as Shota Shibata; Miyu Sasaki as Yuri; Kirin Kiki as Hatsue Shibata; Sosuke Ikematsu as 4 Ban-san; Naoto Ogata as Yuzuru Shibata - **Runtime:** 2h 00m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 23 November 2018 - **Genres:** Drama, Crime, Thriller - **Also in:** [Palme d'Or winners](https://film.one/collections/palme-dor.md) (Winner, 2018) - **Box office:** $68 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuaoRzuVqI0 ## Where to watch in the US - Netflix: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - The Roku Channel: free, hd - Tubi: free, hd - Amazon Prime Video: rent $2.99, sd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, sd - Apple TV: buy $9.99, sd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, DE, DK, FI, FR, GB, HK, IE, IT, JP, KR, MX, NL, NO, NZ, SE, TH, UA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - César Award for Best Foreign Film 2019: César Award for Best Foreign Film (won) - International Submission to the Academy Awards 2019: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated) - Cannes Film Festival 2018: Palme d'Or (won) ## If you liked this - *Nobody Knows* (2004), Fi1m 87: Another patient account of children making do when adults fail them. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/nobody-knows.md) - *The Kid* (1921), Fi1m 84: An improvised family, empty pockets and comedy that makes the hardship matter. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-kid.md) - *A Separation* (2011), Fi1m 93: Competing duties turn a family’s private troubles into difficult questions about fairness. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-separation.md) - *The Florida Project* (2017), Fi1m 88: Children find daily pleasures while the adults struggle to keep them housed. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-florida-project.md) - *The Selfish Giant* (2013), Fi1m 88: A tough account of childhood friendship where making money brings children into danger. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-selfish-giant.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/shoplifters