“Sincere and unassuming, and owns its sentimentality with good humor.” – Guy Lodge, Variety

“I was consistently moved by this picture and by the serenity sought and often found by its protagonist.” – Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com

“Yakusho’s performance is a marvel of openness: Hirayama observes all that’s around him—the pattern of light on the waves of a river, the tracery of leaves on a tree he sees every day…” – Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine