A tough but tender drama that challenges assumptions about society and family will be shown on Thursday, Feb. 21 as part of the Brock University Film Society (BUFS) lineup.

Shoplifters, from writer-director Kore-eda Hirokazu (Like Father, Like Son; Still Walking; Nobody Knows), tells the story of an unconventional but loving multigenerational household living by its wits on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Returning from a shoplifting session, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. Although their family is poor, they take the girl in and seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them.

“At once charming and heart-wrenching, this exquisitely performed film will steal the hearts of both art-house and mainstream audiences,” says Variety.

The LA Times calls Shoplifters a “work of such emotional delicacy and formal modesty that you’re barely prepared when the full force of what it’s doing suddenly knocks you sideways.”

Among its many international honours, Shoplifters won the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Tickets for all BUFS shows are available at the Film House in the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre (PAC) on the evening of screenings. General admission is $9.50 or $7 for members, plus tax. Memberships are available through the Film House website.

Visit the BUFS web page for a full list of this season’s selections. A calendar of films coming to the PAC over the next few months is posted on the Film House website. Look for the red B that indicates a BUFS-hosted screening.

For more than 40 years, the Department of Communication, Popular Culture and Film has hosted the film society (previously known as a series) to bring some of the best in independent, international and Canadian cinema to St. Catharines.