20 Best Foreign Movies Of 2016

20. Our Little Sister

This might come as a surprise to some, but there is life in Japanese cinema beyond its terrifying recent additions to the horror genre. Need proof? Look no further than the Land of the Rising Sun’s leading auteur Hirokazu Koreeda’s latest movie Our Little Sister. Set in a sleepy seaside town, the family drama focuses on three 20-something sisters who have lived in the same house since their estranged parents left them. The trio are forced to confront their own feelings of abandonment after their father dies, taking over guardianship of their younger half-sister he left behind.

Adapted from Akimi Yoshida’s manga series Umimachi Diary and selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, it’s a charming and poignant exploration of unusual family dynamics.