Shoplifters

Shoplifters, from Japanese auteur Hirokazu Koreeda (Our Little Sister, After the Storm), is a captivating domestic drama with salient moral themes. It's about a ragtag family of small-time crooks making ends meet in Tokyo. To convey its accomplishments, it might help to compare it to two similar films that also enjoyed widespread critical acclaim last year: Roma, from Alfonso Cuaron, and Burning, from Chang-dong Lee. All three films are the work of visually oriented foreign-language writer-directors. They're all beefy (or bloated) as well, with run times in excess of two hours. Shoplifters is better than both. The film screens tonight at 6:45 at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque. CWRU associate professor emerita Linda Ehrlich will introduce the film and lead a Q&A after the screening. Tickets cost $11, or $8 for Cinematheque members and students. (Sam Allard)