This film is the highest compliment to Kurasawa's Rashoman I've ever seen. Others have tried the (perhaps bonsai rule-of-three inspired) triple-POV, but I've always just witnessed a "yeah, so what." But this film - Kore-Eda's vision? Kurasawa himself would stand up and bow. It takes the master's style to a completely new level.
Yuji Sakamoto and Kore-Eda have created the perfect film here. It's tight, it's paced incredibly well, and it's complex and layered like a fine wine. Kore-Eda threw away the book of film directing, and created two hours of in-your-face, up front and personal story-telling. And surprisingly, it worked quite well here.
And Ryuichi Sakamoto's score? Is this where we talk about life after death? It's a masterful fit for Kore-Eda's vision.