A family bond that makes you laugh and cry: Hikari Mitsushima, Joe Odagiri and Ko Shibasaki go all out in “Bring Him Down To A Portable Size,” hitting Hong Kong theaters this August
Get ready to bawl your eyes out in the cinema 🥹
Summary
- Japanese director Ryota Nakano’s latest warm-hearted film “My Brother the Portable Size” will officially open in Hong Kong on August 27.
- The film stars three major actors, Kou Shibasaki, Joe Odagiri and Hikari Mitsushima, and its cast has been selected for the 30th Busan International Film Festival and the Tokyo International Film Festival.
- The script is adapted from writer Rikako Murai’s bestselling nonfiction essays, which faithfully chronicle his younger sister’s four-day farewell after her brother, whom she had not seen for many years, passes away suddenly.
- Joe Odagiri, who plays the down-and-out older brother, and Hikari Mitsushima, who plays his ex-wife, share gripping scenes together that deliver a touching portrait of family bonds, mixing laughter with tears.
Some goodbyes in life always catch us off guard. How would you feel if you learned that a relative you’d been estranged from for years had passed away? Japanese director Ryota Nakano, whose heartfelt films including “Her Love Boils Bathwater” and “A Long Goodbye” have deeply moved audiences, is finally returning after five years with a new film, “Shrinking My Brother to a Portable Size.” This time, he brings together three major stars – Kou Shibasaki, Joe Odagiri, and Hikari Mitsushima – for a family farewell journey filled with laughter and tears, arriving in Hong Kong theaters on August 27.
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An unexpected farewell: A tear-jerking journey based on a true story
Unlike his previous works, which portray family members supporting one another over many years, Ryota Nakano turns his lens this time to the regret of not having had the chance to say goodbye. Adapted from a bestselling nonfiction essay by Japanese writer Riko Murai, the film truthfully recounts an emotionally complex chapter of her life.
The story begins when Riko Murai, the younger sister played by Kou Shibasaki, receives an unexpected phone call. Her estranged older brother (Joe Odagiri), with whom she had long since severed ties, has died suddenly of a cerebral hemorrhage. Reluctantly, she travels from Tokyo to Miyagi Prefecture in northeastern Japan to claim his body and prepare him for cremation – in other words, to “shrink him down to a portable size.” Over just four days, amid the mess of an apartment like a garbage house, Riko unexpectedly pieces together a side of her hated brother that she never knew.
Kou Shibasaki, Joe Odagiri, and Hikari Mitsushima: Three major stars spark off one another onscreen
In a family film that moves audiences, casting is often its soul. Selected for the 30th Busan International Film Festival and the 38th Tokyo International Film Festival, the film’s star-studded cast is what audiences are looking forward to most.
Kou Shibasaki captures every nuance of the gentle, introverted younger sister, who is full of pent-up grievances. Joe Odagiri, always possessing a captivatingly world-weary air, brings to life a selfish, careless older brother who causes his family no end of headaches. Hikari Mitsushima, who recently won Best Actress at the Japan Academy Film Prize for “LAST MILE,” plays Kanako, the cheerful and straightforward ex-wife who still cares deeply about her former husband. Even director Ryota Nakano said he was thrilled by the sparks in the three actors’ ensemble scenes.
Secrets hidden among the belongings left behind: Bonds only family can understand
How do we make peace with the past in the absence of a loved one? What truly moves audiences in this film is not simply its sadness, but its ability to retain humor and warmth while taking on a heavy subject. As Joe Odagiri said when sharing his thoughts on filming: “There are things only family members know, and things only family members don’t know. Being family isn’t easy, but this film made me want to find the courage to face everything honestly.”
When Hikari Mitsushima first read the script, she found herself crying and laughing as she felt an indescribable warmth. Perhaps that is the distinctive magic of Ryota Nakano’s films: he always captures the conflicting yet impossible-to-let-go bonds within family relationships with remarkable precision.
“Shrinking My Brother to a Portable Size” opens in Hong Kong theaters on August 27. If you’d like to experience an emotional, healing journey on the eve of the cool autumn days, mark the date on your calendar – and remember to bring a pack of tissues to the theater.
Join POPBEE Circle and subscribe to the POPBEE newsletter for the latest updates, and get early access to special member perks and discounts. Beyond this article, here are a few recent stories worth checking out:
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