Our Little Sister

2015 ‘海街diary’ Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda

A story that revolves around three sisters who live in their grandmother's home and the arrival of their 13-year-old half sister.

Haruka Ayase Masami Nagasawa Kaho Suzu Hirose Ryo Kase Ryohei Suzuki Ikeda Takafumi Kentaro Sakaguchi Oshiro Maeda Midoriko Kimura Yuko Nakamura Kazuaki Shimizu Kaoru Hirata Masumi Nomura Seki Fight Mikami Saya Fukiko Hara Takamitsu Nonaka Saito Kanako Yuki Kimura Yasumi Yoko Ichirô Ogura Kirin Kiki Shinichi Tsutsumi Jun Fubuki Lily Franky Shinobu Ōtake

Alternative Titles

Nossa Irmã Mais Nova, Unsere kleine Schwester, Søstre, Nuestra hermana pequeña, Siskokset, Notre petite soeur, Η μικρή μας αδελφή, Akhotenou ha'ktana, Umimachi Diary, 바닷마을 다이어리, Nuestra pequeña hermana, Nasza młodsza siostra, Naša mala sestra, Дневник Умимати, Systrarna, Küçük Kiz Kardesim, Kamakura Diary, Sea Town Diary

drama comedy

128 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Alex ★★★★½ 10

Sometimes you don't need violence, or sex, or any forced plot point at all, to produce conflict and drama in a story. Hirokazu Koreeda is proof that the everyday going-ons in the lives of regular people are more than enough fuel to create an enjoyable and eminently watchable film with more than enough happening to keep the viewer interested.
That being said, his work isn't for everyone. The pacing here is languid, even for him, and there is even less drama here than in his previous films. But he is able to create characters so rich, diverse and real, that simply watching them talk to each other or walk along the beach or go shopping, is enough. The four sisters…
Review by davidehrlich ★★★½

Kore-eda's gentlest (and prettiest) film is a long & lovely tale of family, transience, and whitefish spread on toast.
Review by Hungkat ★★★★ 6

Take a dip in Kore-eda’s touch of tenderness, covered in pale pink petals and breathe in the sisterly love. I’m not crying because I’m sad, it’s because of the puff of air that blew into my eyes. The breezes of gentleness, smooth like butter and sweet like honey, carry me home and let me curl up into a soft ball. They remind me how generous life can be, even when the road gets rough. Every meal shared is a joy, every glance is a touch; how every-day contains a bittersweet revelation as tears are evenly meshed with laughter. The intricate fabric texture of the familial world is a pleasure to hold onto. Our Little Sister’s kindness is a glimmer bright in the distance, as the cherry blossom trees are blooming. You just have to close your eyes and enter the tunnel of embrace.
Review by iana ★★★½ 5

ohhhh how wonderful
Review by matt lynch ★★★★

These quiet Kore-eda domestic dramas are irresistible to me.
Review by Arsaib Gilbert ★★★★ 2

[Favorites—2010s]
As clichéd as it may sound, for a film that deals with the lives of four women living under the same roof—three sisters and a half-sister who range from mid-teens to late 20s—Kore’eda Hirokazu’s new Our Little Sister (Umimachi Diary) is surprisingly devoid of the kind of sibling conflicts and rivalries we have come to expect from such setups. Sure, from time to time there's a spat over clothes and such between the sober eldest sister (Ayase Haruka), who happens to be the de facto matriarch of the household, and the more free-spirited middle one (Nagasawa Masami), but nothing that threatens to unbalance the domestic harmony.
With his delicate gaze and gentle touch, Kore'eda seems content focusing on life's…

Recent reviews

Review by Rob ★★★★★

Stunningly beautiful. I can't even begin to explain how warm and caring this film is. How powerful is a bond between sisters. You can choose your family.
Review by N ★★★½

family bruh, it's something else.
also hiro kore-eda family drama starter pack:
- death altars & funerals
- cooking
- walking, preferably with white umbrellas
- family
- lily franky and kirin kiki
lily franky gave me the creeps here, you can't tell me otherwise
Review by celemarcel ★★★★½

The Japanese title seems more fitting as it’s more like a diary rather than focusing on just the newfound little sister. Really warm and gentle, only Koreeda can do these movies earnestly. I am usually annoyed when movies cast insanely beautiful people as siblings but I’ll let this one slide because the performances are lovely.
Review by izzy2018 ★★★★

Tender, wholesome, heartwarming, delightful, wonderful, I want to be the fifth sister.
Yet slightly too long with the slowness for me
Review by leviathan93 ★★★★★

Three reasons why this film will nourish your heart:
- domestic bliss. The existence of the little sister somehow provides a mirror to the characters as the relive their youth. The scenes of harvesting fruits from your own garden, sharing a meal, being scared by bugs all are so richly done that it tickles your senses. It is in these seemingly banal moments that life’s meaning lies
- bucolic beauty. One of the main themes of this film is the essence of beauty. It is talked around by the characters as a thing that kind people see almost always. Underlining this is the picturesque shots of riding on a bicycle through cherry blossoms and seeing fireworks. Honestly, this film feels…
Review by M_movies ★★★★

Having watched Shoplifters before any of his other films, while they may not live up to it, I can’t wait to watch the rest. This one, being my second movie of his, was still also an unforgettable experience, one were he again makes you so emotional and engaged in the lives of the characters from seemingly so little. It’s a master at work.
Review by alec ★★★★★

i want to live in this movie
Review by Josie Mak ★★★½

That aerial bicycle shot is beyond beautiful.
Review by Josie Mak ★★★½

The colour palette is so typically Japan hahaha