Interview: Japanese director Koreeda tells story of acceptance among sisters in latest film

"This is a story of people who accept the reality and they grow as a human," Japanese movie director Hirokazu Koreeda told Xinhua presenting his movie Our Little Sister.

Our Little Sister, which was well received in Cannes, tells the story of three sisters getting to know their young half-sibling after their father's funeral. It portrays a gentle reunion of four sisters having to face their difficult role in the family.

"All people staying in the city they accept their fate and they don't fight against it, the inhabitants staying in that seaside town watch over everything," said Koreeda during an interview with Xinhua at the ongoing 68th Cannes Film Festival.

Koreeda said acceptance is one general element of the film as the older sister accepts the father and mother as they are, as does the younger sister.

"I'm very interested in how western people will accept the story because the philosophy is quite different. Maybe we (Asians) are shy because we accept our fate," he said.

Koreeda received the Prix du Jury at the 2013 Cannes International Film Festival for his movie "Like Father, Like Son." He also won the Golden Osella for the Best Director in 1995 during the Venice Film Festival with his movie Maborosi.

Asked if the film featured stories from his own life, Koreeda said: "I have two older sisters but I didn't reflect my family's case. I picked up the story of three real Japanese sisters. We researched how they shared food, clothes, took the bus etc and we kept up details." Endit