Times reviews I Wish

[Nornes, Markus]

"The nominal story involves Koichi’s belief ― he heard it, so it must be right ― that wishes come true for those who stand in a certain spot in front of two passing trains. Marshaling some friends and coordinating with Ryunosuke, he heads off to wish for his family to be reunited, a grand adventure that is more persuasive in its emotional reverberations than in its practical details. That scarcely matters and soon becomes beside the point of Mr. Kore-eda’s gift for carefully excavating deep emotions that his characters cannot express or may not be conscious of. “I Wish” tends toward the vaporous and not just because of its volcano; but whenever its children are on screen, lighted up with joy or dimmed by hard adult truths, the film burns bright."

http://nyti.ms/JmtFe7