As Hirokazu Kore-eda’s career has progressed, his films – never confused with action extravaganzas – have become consistently quieter, less oblique and more sentimental. None of this is meant as criticism. When the Japanese director’s latest film (playing in the main competition) does give in to sentiment it offers balance in nuanced subtexts. This may be a story about a change in circumstances that brings no apparent complications – the protagonist gets happier and then gets happier still – but an abundance of family tragedies lurk half-glimpsed in the undergrowth.

Adapted from a manga by Akimi Yoshida, the film tells the story of three sisters who, when their father dies, elect to take care of his daughter from a second marriage. Older members of the family growl ominously, but the relationship is a success from the beginning. Suzu (Suzu Hirose) turns out to be bright, helpful and perceptive. She’s also a damn fine footballer.

While the relationship is solidifying, the older girls work through problems in their personal lives. Yoshi (Masam Nagasawa), a bank employee, is tasked with rescuing failing businesses. Chika (Kaho) sells sneakers by day and plays the clown at night. Sachi (Haruka Ayase), employed at the local hospital, is carrying on a doomed love affair with a married man. Suzu’s presence helps them all get perspective and encourages at least one to make significant changes in her own life.

Scored to bits of Mahler and some lovely original music by Kanno Yoko, Our Little Sister is as quietly beautiful as earlier Kore-eda works such as I Wish and Like Father Like Son. Takimoto Mikiya's camera usually stays low in the style of Ozu, but soars when the moment requires it. The framing echoes the elegant symmetry of manga, especially when the three older sisters occupy the same shot.

For all the film's quiet loveliness, however, even the most fervent Kore-eda fan might find the new picture just a tiny bit short of plot and structure. One thing Cannes attendees are not short of is Japanese culinary intelligence. Following advice on confectionary in Naomi Kawase's An, we now get the lowdown on lovely things to do with whitebait. We're working up quite an appetite.