Often regarded as the modern-day Yasujiro Ozu for his poignant family dramas such as Still Walking (2008) and Like Father, Like Son (2013), Hirokazu Koreeda takes a rare stride into the thriller genre with this intricate legal procedural, in which a twice-convicted murderer faces execution for a third killing.

Soon after completing a 30-year jail sentence, Misumi (Koji Yakusho) confesses to killing his boss at the food factory from where he was recently fired. A death sentence seems unavoidable, but defence lawyer Shigemori (Masaharu Fukuyama) soon discovers inconsistencies in Misumi’s confession while digging into the case. The victim’s daughter, Sakie (Suzu Hirose), is also drawn into the mix.

Read my full South China Morning Post review here