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Many critics accuse directors like Terrence Malick, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, and Asghar Farhadi of making the same movie each time out. The inherent laziness of this argument says more about the writer than the artist, but it also easily disregards stylistic and thematic motifs that are still evolving within a body of work. Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda regularly experiences such reductive forms of analysis. Quietly patient and wise, his films are breezy dramatic miniatures that examine the nuances of everyday life. Most impressively, they challenge preconceptions about dramatic redemption, giving conflicted characters the opportunity to grieve, learn, rejoice, and evolve at their own pace. Kore-eda’s After the Storm follows a similarly measured trajectory. It appreciates the present moment even as its lead protagonist continues to dwell on the past. Once a successful novelist, Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) moonlights as a private detective using the job’s free-ranging latitude to...