Abandoned by their mother, four children try to forge a life within the confines of a small Tokyo apartment. Devising their own set of rules, the children find a way to sustain themselves until they must face the harsh reality of the outside world. Koreeda’s slow pacing and limited setting allow a sensitive reading of the children’s perspective without overtly sentimentalizing their plight. His choice of nonfiction film techniques successfully captures the intimacies and nuances of the children’s world.