"“Shoplifters” is not a traditional narrative by any means. It is more an “observational” fiction film, in the same way we call certain documentaries ‘observational’. Each character has a trajectory that is followed, but until the very end, when there is a sudden dramatic change that unravels their fragile ties, there is little conflict between them. Instead we are let to enjoy this extraordinary meditation on what is the true meaning of family and love. Each character is drawn so precisely and yet we come to understand that they are a random family, or a chosen family, or a shoplifted family. When their fabric is finally torn apart, we know that their blood families and their future families will be so much less than what they created before. The film is full of beautiful metaphors, not the least, the insistence that food be part of nearly every scene. The importance of food as nourishment and love and pleasure is shown in glorious ways, least of all a wet, sticky scene in the middle of summer where two of the characters slurp down cold noodles only to end up in a long forgotten sexual embrace."

"Why? Well, I think it’s an act of freedom, the whole entire movie, practically. They didn’t have a script. In 1962, which is the year when the movie was shot, I thought it was unbelievable that somebody would just go into an experiment like that. It’s still a very experimental movie, very emotional in a way. I like what he says about the human spirit and creation; in a way, crisis of a man confronting life, his past, his present and his future in a very formal way. I mean formal in terms of format, how the movie was told, not only in the content of the movie, which is amazing. Also in the way that he decided to just do it absolutely free, inventing new rules for telling a story and not going in a traditional way. I thought it was the masterpiece of Federico Fellini that most attracted me; I feel very proud that I know [what it’s like for] a guy like Federico Fellini, who got the balls to just jump into such believable, reflections of mirrors, you know, inside the movie."