"Kazoku wa tsuraiyo 2" continues the adventures of the Hirata family, with a little and charming movie that ends up being more than it seems at first sight.
The movie continues with its low key approach to its subjects: we see the everyday life of the Hirata family and how things have changed since the end of the first movie. The MacGuffin of the story is the 'patriarch' 's stubbornness and denial in recognizing the need for him to stop driving. This too common situation gives Yôji Yamada all he needs to develop the story, a plot that, as the first, revolves around family, its tensions, the changes that are happening in Japanese society (family relations, elder care, job relations...), with some light touches of humor and also some serious moments. The pace is still quite slow, and it drags for moments, but the approach is spot on, and the the movie's mood and situations will delight the viewer, in particular for anyone interested in everyday's life and human relationships.
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