Precious few filmmakers dissect family relations with the finesse of Kore-eda (Like Father, Like Son; Our Little Sister; Still Walking). Here, Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) is a deadbeat dad, though he hasn't given up hope of winning his ex back, nor of following up his acclaimed first novel... his stint as a private eye is just research, he claims. As for his gambling habit, well, millions of Japanese enjoy a game of chance from time to time.

Still, the only person Ryota is really fooling is himself. His mother, his sister, even his ex-wife and son mostly take a tolerant view of his failings; they know he means well even if he's definitely not to be trusted. With a new rival vying for his wife's affections, Shinoda engineers a last chance to regain his family...

There's a good deal of comedy in After the Storm, especially concerning Ryota's indulgent, elderly mom (Kirin Kiki, Sweet Bean) and his shady business ethics, but authentic emotional undercurrents swell to the surface in the movie's beautifully modulated climax. This is the sort of humanist filmmaking that lifts the spirit.