Anthology films are often reviewed as if the critic were handing out trophies to the various segments, from first place to booby prize.
But in his 2021 film “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi made an anthology of such uniform excellence that the usual critical prize ceremony seemed absurd. Similarly, “Almost People” — a collaboration of four directors: two well-known (Satoko Yokohama and Gakuryu Ishii) and two not (Takuto Kato and Fumio Moriya) — approaches a Hamaguchi-level of thematic and stylistic integration. The effect is somewhat like a vocal quartet singing in smooth harmony while subsuming their soloist personalities.
Each of the four segments features one of the four siblings, all lacking something in their emotional makeup: An ability to feel joy (elder brother Hikaru), anger (elder sister Himiko), pleasure (younger brother Taiyo) and loneliness (younger sister Hanako).