The third entry from Japanese cinema on this list of essential foreign movies from 2014 is entirely different to the previous entries - Hirokazu Koreeda's Like Father, Like Son takes you into the territory of naturalistic drama, as two couples discover that their six year old sons were accidentally swapped in the hospital shortly after birth. Eschewing the potential for melodrama (anyone familiar with Koreeda's exceptional filmography will understand how close to reality his movies are), Like Father, Like Son takes the premise as a starting point for a dissection of familial identity, parenthood and the balance between nature and nurture. The performances are universally pitch perfect, while Koreeda's direction is detached, yet at the same time utterly compassionate. Koreeda is without a doubt one of the most interesting and intelligent filmmakers working in Japan today and Like Father, Like Son is a wonderful addition to his thoughtful cinematic output.
