--- title: "Shoplifters: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/shoplifters/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/shoplifters" critics_score: 86 critics_reviews: 21 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): what the critics said Critics' score 86 from 21 reviews: 21 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. 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. ## RogerEbert.com — Brian Tallerico Rating 4/4. 23 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/shoplifters-2018) ## The Times — Kevin Maher Rating ★★★★★. 23 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.thetimes.com/life-style/article/shoplifters-review-c7hv3bwlf) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/shoplifters-review/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-shoplifters-review-20181121-story.html) ## Sight and Sound — Trevor Johnston Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-shoplifters-reveals-koreedas-masterfully-light-touch) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/nov/21/shoplifters-review-hirokazu-kore-eda) ## The Telegraph Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/shoplifters-reviewa-thrilling-beautiful-tale-toykos-down-and/) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 20 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.vulture.com/2018/11/palme-dor-winner-shoplifters-a-family-on-the-margins.html) ## Little White Lies — Beth Webb Rating 4/4/4. 22 November 2018. 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 the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/shoplifters) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2018. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/shoplifters-cannes-review/5129318.article) ## Time Out — Geoff Andrew Rating 4/5. 15 May 2018. 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 the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/shoplifters) ## Variety — Maggie Lee Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2018. Festival review. 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 the review](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/shoplifters-review-manbiki-kazoku-1202809298/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Deborah Young Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 14 May 2018. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/shoplifters-review-1111546/) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen 30 August 2018. 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 the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/shoplifters/) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Rating Critic's Pick. 22 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/22/movies/shoplifters-review.html) ## HeyUGuys — Jo-Ann Titmarsh Rating 5/5. 21 May 2018. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/shoplifters-review/) ## Den of Geek — Mark Harrison Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/shoplifters-review-one-of-the-years-best-films/) ## The Ringer — Manuela Lazic Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.theringer.com/2018/11/27/movies/shoplifters-hirokazu-kore-eda-review) ## The Playlist — Jordan Ruimy Rating B+. 20 May 2018. Festival review. 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 the review](https://theplaylist.net/shoplifters-hirokazu-kore-eda-review-20180520/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 23 November 2018. 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 the review](https://consequence.net/2018/11/film-review-shoplifters/) ## Eye for Film — Richard Mowe Rating 4/5. 25 May 2018. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/shoplifters-2018-film-review-by-richard-mowe) ## /Film — Andrew Todd Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2018. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/561665/shoplifters-review/) ## The Wrap — Ben Croll Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2018. Festival review. 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 the review](https://www.thewrap.com/shoplifters-cannes-review-seventh-time-charm-hirokazu-kore-eda/) ## Paste — Andy Crump Rating 8.9. 30 November 2018. 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 the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/shoplifters/shoplifters) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/shoplifters.md