The Best Japanese Films of the New Millennium
There is a widely spread perception among critics, scholars and film buffs that Japanese cinema died decades ago. Some see the end of the studio system of the golden post-war era as the turning point while others consider the downfall of Japanese New Wave the last period of time when Japanese cinema was still interesting and relevant. Having spent many years watching Japanese films I have grown to dislike this idea because there are lots of interesting Japanese films that are not getting the attention and distribution outside Japan that they deserve. In order to do something about this situation I want to create much-needed discussion about contemporary Japanese cinema. Some sort of “canon” is needed for discussion. Although I do not believe my personal list will be enough for a proper canon, but I hope it creates discussion and inspires interest in Japanese cinema that is still as alive as ever despite financial problems.
For those of you who like Japanese cinema or are interested in trying out recent Japanese films, this list offers one way to discover gems (both well-known and obscure). My intention is to include all sorts of films in this list: thought-provoking, hilarious, melodramatic, meditative, heartwarming or just downright unsettling.
I do not care about the precise rankings so much because they change almost daily, but I was very careful about which 100 films I chose for the list. I spent months rewatching films I had seen a long time ago and watching recent films that had been on my backlog for too long. I deliberately ruled documentaries out of the list because I have seen so few of them and thought it would not pay enough respect to the genre if I just added the few documentaries I know and have seen.
I hope you find this list interesting and useful. I am thinking of updating this list once I have seen more new films.
For those of you who like Japanese cinema or are interested in trying out recent Japanese films, this list offers one way to discover gems (both well-known and obscure). My intention is to include all sorts of films in this list: thought-provoking, hilarious, melodramatic, meditative, heartwarming or just downright unsettling.
I do not care about the precise rankings so much because they change almost daily, but I was very careful about which 100 films I chose for the list. I spent months rewatching films I had seen a long time ago and watching recent films that had been on my backlog for too long. I deliberately ruled documentaries out of the list because I have seen so few of them and thought it would not pay enough respect to the genre if I just added the few documentaries I know and have seen.
I hope you find this list interesting and useful. I am thinking of updating this list once I have seen more new films.
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- DirectorShunji IwaiStarsHayato IchiharaShûgo OshinariAyumi ItoThe problematic lives of teenager students for whom the singer Lily Chou-Chou's dreamy music is the only way to escape an alienating, violent and insensitive society.All About Lily Chou-Chou
Shunji Iwai's All About Lily Chou-Chou is one of the films that have altered and determined my taste in film. It is one of those films that deeply unsettled me when I first saw it and continues to enthrall me whenever I see it again. It is not a perfect film by any means, but it is an undeniably important film for me personally. I did not experience anything nearly as bad as the film's characters when I was a teen, but somehow the story feels just like my youth. It addresses themes that people of my generation find familiar. The Lily Chou-Chou of the title is a fictional pop star that connects all the characters: her enchanting music and Björk-like character are the only way out of the cruel society for the young, alienated cast. The film does not pull punches with its vicious depiction of bullying, trauma and death. Iwai gets everything he can out of the early digital cameras with dreamlike colors and haunting shots of the characters in wide green fields. By the time the end credits roll the film has managed to capture the mindset of what it is like to grow up in the modern society.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5k6GFVlnMo - DirectorHideaki AnnoStarsShunji IwaiAyako FujitaniJun MurakamiA disillusioned filmmaker has an encounter with a young girl who has a ritual of repeating "Tomorrow is my birthday" everyday. He tries to communicate with her through his video camera.Ritual Day
Hideaki Anno's Ritual Day plunges into the minds of its two desperate and lonely protagonists: a burned-out film director and the odd girl he is following. Produced with a small cast and crew, Anno employs the haunting industrial landscapes of his hometown as the two wander around, trying to communicate with each other. As their relationship develops the film reveals many psychological shades of pain the two are going through. The director is struggling with his own work, which reflects Anno's own experiences, and the girl is fighting with her inner demons and deeply rooted mother issues in her surreal abandoned apartment block full of red umbrellas, water and junk. Anno's study of the two characters is both haunting and uplifting because it grows through hell in order to find a peaceful conclusion. The conclusion is not a "they lived happily ever after" ending, but it brims with hope for the damaged souls.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32WdNraeZwE - DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsHiroshi AbeYui NatsukawaYouA family gathers together for a commemorative ritual whose nature only gradually becomes clear.Still Walking
When a family gathers together on the anniversary of the oldest son's death, the conflicts within the family burst open over the course of a day. Koreeda's magnificence is that he can be both universal and culturally specific at the same time. Still Walking's portrayal of middle-class family life hits on the dramatic and comic notes that are common all around the world, but at the same time it also delves deeper into Japanese traditions, such as the importance of the oldest son of a family. Grumpy grandfathers, doting grandmothers, nervous in-laws and energetic children. All of them are familiar to us. Still Walking inserts immense depth into all the cliches of family dramas all the while it investigates the huge impact of the loss of a son even decades later. Especially the second son of the family has to carry the burden as the parents keep wondering how everything would be better if the perfect first son were still alive. If Yasujiro Ozu had ever made a film in this day it would have perhaps been similar to Still Walking.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gPbHqmjhNU - DirectorSion SonoStarsTakahiro NishijimaHikari MitsushimaSakura AndôA bizarre love triangle forms between a young Catholic upskirt photographer, a misandric girl and a manipulative cultist.Love Exposure
Sion Sono's Love Exposure is a 4-hour epic of love, religion, and youth that does not leave its audience cold. By now I have introduced dozens of people to it and not one of them has regretted sitting down for 4 hours to watch the madness. The son of a moralizing priest is looking for his personal "Maria" when he comes across a punk girl who hates men and a crazy cult that brainwashes its recruits. Thus begins his great journey that is a glorious mixture of voyeurism, crossdressing and boners. The film begins as a hyperactive comedy, but it gradually turns into a grim drama that completely absorbs the audience. Punctuated by a powerful combination of classical music and psychedelic rock, Love Exposure is an explosive cinematic experience that everyone ought to see.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fxa5NuVrqU - DirectorTatsushi ÔmoriStarsHirofumi AraiJoe HyûgaMansaku IkeuchiA child's horrific murder brings to light the haunted truth of an affair between her mother and a neighbor. As a magazine reporter investigates the case, he finds that nothing is as it seems.The Ravine of Goodbye
As a journalist investigates a child murder case he finds out the remarkable secret of the couple next door. Tatsushi Omori's The Ravine of Goodbye is a gut-wrenching but sophisticated portrayal of the consequences of a rape crime. It views the incident from a number of perspectives which bring their own colored judgment, but the ambiguous truth lies in the confused and unsettled minds of the perpetrator and the victim. What is the driving force for the two? Guilt? Retaliation? Love? Or is it something completely different? Omori proves himself a fully matured visionary who delivers his drama with chilling power and complex understanding. Furthermore, the performances of his leads (Yoko Maki and Shima Onishi) are absolutely phenomenal - among the best acting performances of the new millennium. The Ravine of Goodbye is a haunting masterpiece that still lingers in my mind even a month later.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0HQV2NsDbU - DirectorNaomi KawaseStarsShigeki UdaMachiko OnoKanako MasudaA care-giver at a small retirement home takes one of her patients for a drive to the country, but the two wind up stranded in a forest where they embark on an exhausting and enlightening two-day journey.The Mourning Forest
In The Mourning Forest, one of Japan's leading directors, Naomi Kawase, tells a story about a woman who is still grieving her son’s death working at a nursing home where she forms a special bond with an old man with dementia struggling to accept the death of her wife. The scenario is a great platform for Kawase to meditate on death, loss, old age and letting go. While the themes do overlap a little with the director's other films, The Mourning Forest focuses on a decidedly different aspect. While the film mostly consists of the two protagonists wandering lost in a forest, it is an earth-shattering cinematic experience. In only 97 minutes Kawase manages to craft an enlightening and almost spiritual experience that will certainly haunt me for a long time.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY9A3yJARgk - DirectorKôhei OguriStarsTadanobu AsanoMai EnokiTokie HidariMachi, a young high school student from a small mountain town, is having fun with her friends inventing the outline of a fantasy tale. They all add an episode to this exquisite invention whilst, in parallel, the adults pursue their daily life.The Buried Forest
Perhaps the most challenging film of the list, The Buried Forest is the film of a veteran director who has only released 5 films in his long career that spans 4 decades. It is a surreal film about a village in which teenage girls begin to tell their own fantasy story that starts to become real when a buried forest is found nearby. The film mixes up reality and fantasy freely, with even the viewer not being able to distinguish between the two at times. Oguri keeps his camera at a distance, using close-ups only on a few occasions, and he does not build many characters. Instead his characters are more like parts of scenery in his gorgeous cinematography that is almost like a series of paintings. The soundscapes are also very diligently controlled as the director creates a hypnotic air of mystery around the surreal village. Yet he does not directly imply what the film is about, instead he leaves it up to the viewer to be active and find one's own interpretation. The Buried Forest is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that rewards curious film buffs even if it is far from being accessible.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbwNodzDH3U - DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsTeruyuki KagawaKyôko KoizumiYû KoyanagiAn ordinary Japanese family slowly disintegrates after its patriarch loses his job at a prominent company.Tokyo Sonata
Tokyo Sonata is Kiyoshi Kurosawa's ultimate masterpiece that takes a look into the inner workings of the contemporary patriarchal family structure that is still very common in Japan. The gradual disintegration and reunification of a family paves the way for a thought-provoking and emotionally involving exploration of the insecurities of the characters. Their pride can not handle the constant dread of trouble with finances and employment in addition to losing face in front of family and society. Kurosawa's conclusion to how the family can overcome their deeply rooted problems is surprisingly optimistic for the director, but it is also a very mature conclusion that is the logical next step after the film's hard-hitting thematic ruminations. In conclusion, Tokyo Sonata is a complex portrayal of the key issues of modern day family that cleverly extends its focus to all the family members.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyWp__jXNRw - DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsMasaharu FukuyamaMachiko OnoYôko MakiRyota is a successful workaholic businessman. When he learns that his biological son was switched with another boy after birth, he faces the difficult decision to choose his true son or the boy he and his wife have raised as their own.Like Father, Like Son
In Koreeda's modern masterpiece, two families find out that their sons were accidentally switched at birth when the two boys are already old enough to enter school. Fans of the director will be delighted to see that he has found his own position in mainstream filmmaking. Like Father Like Son does not feel like a compromise at all despite its star-studded cast and accessible story. Koreeda does deliver the drama with touching and tearjerking conviction, but he also subtly depicts the many shades of parental love. He explores the underpinnings of the two different families and how the Japanese concern for blood relations has its influence on the parents' actions in the touchy dilemma. Like Father Like Son is yet another masterpiece from Koreeda and it deserves its worldwide critical acclaim without a doubt.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9ZU0_RFiDQ - DirectorMasaaki YuasaKôji MorimotoStarsKôji ImadaSayaka MaedaTakashi FujiiAfter a deadly encounter with two yakuza, a loser with a crush on his childhood girlfriend goes to heaven and back, embarking on a psychedelic self-discovery experience with her and his friends.Mind Game
Masaki Yuasa’s insanely hyperactive film about a man who gets a second chance from God to rescue the girl she loves from gangsters. One thing leads to another and he ends up in a dark, stranded place with his girl, her friend and a mysterious old man. Yuasa's imagination runs wild as the four try to find ways to spend time in their lonely world, ranging from oddly erotic balloon art to crazy mindtrip sequences. The film's depiction of God and death is also one of the imaginative and creative I've ever seen in film, be it anime or live-action. Even though the films runs wild with its surreal imagery and peculiar animation it never loses track of its characters: they find themselves quite radically changed after the adrenaline-pumping climax that is one of the greatest sequences of animation genius and hyperactive direction. Mind Game is an innovative and delightfully experimental piece of cinema that rivals even the greatest Ghibli films.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU4EfF85u60 - DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsDaveigh ChaseSuzanne PleshetteMiyu IrinoDuring her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.Spirited Away
Hayao Miyazaki's widely popular and critically acclaimed masterpiece follows the story of a girl who wanders into a fantasy world inhabited by gods, witches and monsters. There she is made to work at a bathhouse that serves all these creatures. Spirited Away has won over fans all around the world with its magnificent depiction of the charming fantasy world. Miyazaki combines his love for a more traditional life style with imaginative fantasy creatures and the creator's concern and criticism of modern life. With a meticulously constructed visual language and Hisaishi's sweeping soundtrack, Spirited Away is an unforgettable experience that comes loaded with Miyazaki's personal beliefs and lots of magic.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiEzl7SEtkI - DirectorShinji AoyamaStarsKoji YakushoAoi MiyazakiMasaru MiyazakiThe traumatized survivors of a murderous bus hijacking come together and take a road trip to attempt to overcome their damaged selves. Meanwhile a serial killer is on the loose.Eureka
A bus driver and two siblings are the only survivors of a bus hijacking. We never get to know who the hijacker is and why he does what he does. What Aoyama’s film is interested in is the trauma of the survivors: it affects their lives even a long time afterwards and they are unable to recover. With no understanding people around them, they gather together for a road trip to recuperation. At 3 hours and 38 minutes Eureka is an exceptionally long film that indulges in its heavy atmosphere and slow pace, but that makes the trauma of its characters all the more tangibily haunting. With beautiful sepia-colored imagery and a melancholic mood Aoyama dives into the mindset of his characters who are unable to fit into society without getting over their PTSD. Even though the story reaches murky depths it remains hopeful for the characters although their answers and recovery don't come easy and without sacrifices.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_o0CONMqKOc - DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsYûya YagiraAyu KitauraHiei KimuraIn a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.Nobody Knows
Inspired by a true story of a mother abandoning her children in Tokyo, Koreeda's Nobody Knows is a peek into the devastating lives of the abandoned children. Working with a mostly young cast, Koreeda crafts unforgettable characters with lovable personalities. A life without adults is a recipe for disaster even if the kids are exceptionally resourceful and dutiful. As the mother refuses to show up, the kids' lifestyle devolves to a point that sparks tragedy. Even though the film mostly consists of the kids innocently playing around, Nobody Knows is one of the most depressive and grim films in Koreeda's repertoire.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyFm4gQly38 - DirectorMiwa NishikawaStarsTsurube ShôfukuteiEita NagayamaTeruyuki KagawaA young medical intern student is dismayed when he is assigned to work in a remote countryside village.Dear Doctor
Dear Doctor begins with a village panicking over the disappearance of the liked village doctor. It then moves on to lengthy flashbacks while the police are investigating his disappearance. The film gradually builds the doctor’s image and personality with scenes of him treating his patients, but the mystery surrounding him becomes even thicker as he is clearly lying about his background - it turns out he is a fake doctor. Dear Doctor is not only a very delicate and touching portrayal of an unusual protagonist, but it also contemplates on the ambivalence of truth, the health care system and the values of modern society. The film doesn’t lecture about them, but raises questions and depicts central issues. It is rare to find a movie that is at the same time concerned about the story's dramaturgy, ethics and thematics - and all of its elements come together effortlessly.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLWxyAxpyxQ - DirectorAkihiko ShiotaStarsAoi MiyazakiSeiichi TanabeTetsu SawakiFollowing the divorce of her parents, her mother's suicide attempt, and the rumors of an affair with her teacher, a lonely 7th grader starts skipping school in an attempt to find herself.Harmful Insect
A girl feels alienated from the society while exchanging letters with her former teacher who is implied to have been in a romantic relationship with the girl. Her single mother is only concerned for herself because she wants to find a man to help with her loneliness. Meanwhile the girl spends time with shady men who are nice to her but she only ends up going from bad to worse. Akihiko Shiota's Harmful Insect is a devastating critique of a nation that does not take care of its young girls and instead sees them as decorations or mere commodities. It is also a vivid portrayal of the girl's alienation from modern society despite the desperate actions of her well-meaning friend to persuade her to go to school. The film shows how a society has turned against a frail and innocent mind that is waiting to break apart. Shiota's pessimistic film describes a cold society full of people taking care of only themselves - at the cost of innocence.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo2hYJZTOUM - DirectorMahiro MaedaMasayukiKazuya TsurumakiStarsMegumi OgataMegumi HayashibaraYûko MiyamuraFourteen years have passed since the near Third Impact. Most of the world has changed, except for Shinji Ikari, who awakens in a strange new environment without having aged.Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo
The third part of the film series of the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise (check the other two parts lower on this list), Evangelion 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo is a controversial film among the franchise's hardcore fans. It completely abandons the original storyline, reinterprets the multifaceted characters and forces the audience through a gut-wrenching thematic exploration of guilt, atonement, and the unability to redo one's past. Without giving away too much, I will just mention that the film puts the audience in the protagonist's place as he wanders around confused in a completely new environment. The film is a masterful character study of the protagonist and how he deals with the devastating and terrifying consequences of his previous actions. Anno proves that he is still capable of putting out psychologically and thematically ravishing stories that dare to destroy expectations and traverse into uncomfortable territory.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ua75H0k7-N0 - DirectorNobuhiro YamashitaStarsBae DoonaAki MaedaYû KashiiA music group of girls need to learn to play a song before the school festival.Linda Linda Linda
Nobuhiro Yamashita's Linda Linda Linda catches something about the rustling spirit of youth that other films lack. Its story about a high school band recruiting a lonely Korean exchange student to sing Japanese punk rock proceeds at its own charming pace. The film excuses the characters for their mistakes and portrays their embarrassing stumbles in communication with exceptionally dry but gentle humor. As everything is beginning to fall apart, will the band be able to play at the school festival? Yamashita's build-up to the climax cleverly increases the tension as everything seems to be falling apart. While the film's humor may not be as absurdist or eccentric as what Yamashita is known for, his form works just as well (perhaps even better) with the more accessible script.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNEeKAJQ-qY - DirectorYûya IshiiStarsHikari MitsushimaKôtarô ShigaRyô IwamatsuAfter 5 years in Tokyo, 5 part-time jobs, 5 boyfriends, Sawako's life is going nowhere. When her father gets seriously ill she have to take over his struggling factory. Gradually she becomes the decider of her own life.Sawako Decides
Yuya Ishii's working class comedy is centered around its unusual protagonist. Sawako is a woman with no ambition who openly calls her "lower middle class". When she returns to her roots from which she escapes as a teenager, she has to win over the prejudicial middle-aged ladies working at her father's factory at the same time as she needs to set records straight with her tree-hugging boyfriend and his child. Ishii finds his humor in the filthiness of the characters' lives as the stuck-up ladies and cheating men battle it out. The heroine's development from an indecisive woman with no direction to a lady in charge of her life is fun to watch - and that is not just because of the big laughs that Ishii delivers. Sawako Decides also takes its characters seriously: Sawako has to face the family issues that made her run away before she can move on in her life.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwnJpZtGhYM - DirectorMiwa NishikawaStarsYûsuke IseyaRena TanakaTakako MatsuAfter losing their restaurant in a fire, a husband and wife come up with a strange plan to rebuild their shattered finances: marrying the husband off to a series of lonely women and defrauding them.Dreams for Sale
Continuing with her investigation into the nature of truth, Nishikawa's Dreams for Sale sets its camera on a couple desperate for money that resolves to fraud. In the end, what is it that the two truly want and what happens when they are getting too deep into their web of lies? Although the film has its moments of black humor and suspense, it plays out more like an understated but rich character study of its two protagonists who are carried over full-fletched, three-dimensional development arcs. Despite running well over two hours and featuring an enormous cast of characters, Dreams for Sale is a very tight and focused film that never lets the audience off its grip.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfHHHonvjTc - DirectorTetsuichirô TsutaStarsRina TakedaShima ÔnishiMin TanakaAs a tunnel construction project threatens the natural order of one of Japan's last untouched regions, an old man and his granddaughter Haruna's humble lifestyle begins to influence the outlook of a man from Tokyo.The Tale of Iya
In the remote Iya Valley a young girl is living with an old farmer, and a young man has come to the valley from Tokyo to find a life free of technology and convenience, but he faces huge obstacles as he tries to make a living in the countryside. The film portrays a lifestyle that is vanishing as the world is beginning to prioritize technology over nature. The locals can’t wait to get out and live conveniently while the outsiders find the valley an idyllic place worth protecting. The powers of nature are pitted against civilization. The film is only shown in film theaters so if you ever have a chance to watch it, do it because it will be your only chance. I am still dying to see the film again because it is one of the most mesmerizing and unique cinematic experiences I’ve ever had.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M62rTiEjaA - DirectorKazuyoshi KumakiriStarsMitsuki TanimuraPistol TakeharaRyô KaseIn the city of Kaitan, during the winter, the local shipyard is downsized and workers are laid off. Futa (Pistol Takehara) lives with his younger sister Honami (Mitsuki Tanimura). He loses his job at the shipyard and, feeling uneasy about their situation, goes with Honami to see the sunrise on a nearby mountainside for New Year's Day. Makoto (Takashi Yamanaka), a new city hall employee, visits the only remaining house in a redevelopment area. The home belongs to a 70-year-old woman,Toki (Aki Nakazato) who lives with her cat and a few animals in her backyard. Toki refuses to vacate the land and Makoto tries to persuade her that she will be forcibly evicted. 49-year-old Ryuzo (Kaoru Kobayashi) works in a small planetarium, while his relationship with his wife Haruyo (Haruyo Hika) and teenage son is deteriorating. Haruyo finds release by working as a hostess in a cabaret. Haruo (Ryo Kase) has taken over the operation of his father's gas company, but he worries about the state of his business. He also has a strained relationship with his wife, who takes out her anger on their son Akira. Taichiro, a street car driver, spots his son, Hiroshi (Masaki Miura) walking in downtown Kaitan. Although Hiroshi lives & works in Tokyo, he has come back to Kaitan for business. But he doesn't contact his father, even though it is the holiday season.Sketches of Kaitan City
Based on a short story collection, Sketches of Kaitan City is set in the titular harbor city in which a huge layoff is about to begin. The film features altogether 5 stories of working class suffering that don’t really show any hint of hope even though the characters in them are portrayed in a positive way - with the exception of one story that is a full-blown take on domestic violence. What makes the film a great drama is Kumakiri’s direction. He sets a very oppressive, downbeat mood for the film that suggests impending tragedy and when it does come, there is no melodrama, but instead the heavy cinematography and the subtle acting performances deliver the hard-hitting blows. Even by the standards of downbeat tragedies, Sketches of Kaitan City is quite heavy and dark, but it is a great film.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2ZTXP_HQ7g - DirectorMamoru OshiiStarsRinko KikuchiRyô KaseShôsuke TaniharaThe Kildren, a group of eternally young fighter pilots, experience the sudden loss of innocence as they battle the enemy in astonishing dogfights above the clouds.The Sky Crawlers
Mamoru Oshii's The Sky Crawlers may be a film about pilots waging a war, but the whole setting is just an allegory that Oshii uses for social criticism. The fighters are children who are unable to age and for every one of them that dies there is a replacement. The sides who are waging war are actually companies - not nations - and the war is seen more like a game with the casualty numbers being reported in daily news like sports results. Oshii covers the whole film in a very laconic and depressive atmosphere as he goes on to point out how society needs a war to keep running - even if the war is not real. Oshii's style is quite polarizing, but I personally find it engaging, especially in The Sky Crawlers.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqnrMe7_rT8 - DirectorYong-hi YangStarsSakura AndôArata IuraYang Ik-joonBased on the director's own experience, Our Homeland follows a Korean family living in Japan, of which the father (Masane Tsukayama) decided to take North Korean nationality because of his strong belief decades ago. In 1997, Sonho (Arata Iura), the son of the family who was sent to North Korea under a "repatriation program" with the promise of a "paradise" free of discrimination, returns to Japan for the first time in 25 years to seek treatment for his brain tumor due to the difference in medical technology between the two countries. Allowed to stay for only three months and closely monitored by a North Korean officer (Yang Ik-Joon), Sonho is welcomed and embraced by his family and old friends but his father, who is still sticking to the belief but also feeling guilty about sending his son to North Korea at the same time, while Sonho's younger sister Rie (Sakura Andô) develops the aversion to North Korea and its political ideas.Our Homeland
Some of the North Korean immigrants in Japan send their children back to their homeland when they come of age. Based on the director's own real life experience, Our Homeland portrays one such man who returns to Japan for medical treatment 25 years afterwards. Under strict surveillance, the family begins to stir as their held-back emotions of their isolated homeland and manipulated upbringing are let loose. Yang's camera follows the characters closely, but lets the audience grasp what is going on in their minds only very gradually as the man keeps himself distant from others. His little sister who has grown up in Japan (the director's self-insert character) is the true focus of the film: she struggles the most with her troubled ancestry. In a nutshell, Our Homeland is a touching film about the human tragedy of powerless bystanders in a political struggle.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CspYud16RiA - DirectorNoriyuki KitanoharaKazuya SakamotoNoriko TakaoStarsAya HiranoTomokazu SugitaMinori ChiharaA week before Christmas, Kyon wakes up in a world where the SOS Brigade doesn't exist. Mikuru and Yuki don't recognize him, and Haruhi and Itsuki seem to have vanished.The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi
The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi is a film sequel to a highly popular TV series in which a high school girl who is interested in supernatural phenomena is unaware of her powers to alter reality, resulting in a group of time travellers, espers, and aliens being formed around her. All of this is being observed by a cynical boy named Kyon who is dragged into the girl's selfish adventures. The film contains a particularly epic and moving episode in which Kyon wakes up one morning only to find that the world has returned to normal and the others do not recognize him for some reason. As he begins to investigate what is going on, the film begins to reveal new aspects and underpinnings to the characters familiar from the TV series as Kyon needs to make a choice that will determine the rest of his life. The series itself is a fun blast of sci-fi, but the film outdoes it with a storyline that lifts the franchise high above its competitors. It is an emotionally involving film that develops its characters in unpredictable but mature ways. Running over two and half hours, The Disappearance of Suzumiya Haruhi is an exceptionally long blockbuster anime film, but it never slumps in quality or pace.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdqqASpMV0Y - DirectorSatoshi KonKô MatsuoStarsMiyoko ShôjiShôzô ÎzukaMami KoyamaA TV interviewer and his cameraman meet a former actress and travel through her memories and career.Millennium Actress
A popular old actress who now lives in recluse grants a rare interview to a TV interviewer who turns out to be a big fan of hers. Together they recount the steps of the actress' life story which reveal that the actress has been chasing after a secret love all her life. At the same time the two go on a journey of cinematic history with the two recreating famous scenes from the films of the actress. These dreamlike sequences are reminiscent of Kon's other films that deal with the surreal and subconscious. Very few manage to do as much in only an hour and a half as Kon does in Millennium Actress: his loving tribute to cinema is also a hypnotic love story of fate with richly detailed characters and Susumu Hirasawa's great electronic soundtrack.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpGrD5wUzKE - DirectorGen TakahashiStarsShun SugataHarumi InoueTakayoshi AraiTakeda (Shun Sugata) is an honest police officer, father and husband, but after he's promoted to detective he quickly becomes embroiled in dirty back room dealings, blackmail, and corruption that goes right to the top of the force. Meanwhile renegade investigator Kusama (Junichi Kawamoto) must decide whether he should shake the foundations of Japanese law enforcement with the information that has come into his possession about the police. What will happen if both these men listen to their consciences?Confessions of a Dog
Confessions of a Dog is one of the most condemning and devastating depictions of the corruption of the Japanese police force ever put on film. In fact, it is even banned in Japan so you could say the film is very touchy. One would think that a 200-minute film with nothing but cops committing one crime after another would be repetitive and boring, but Confessions of a Dog is a very gripping film that is not mere exploitation. Takahashi builds the film around a friendly and honest cop who gradually turns crooked as he gets involved with the higher-ups of the police force. His downfall is just one of many. The film’s genius lies in how Takahashi carefully peels one layer after another - revealing how the Japanese police force is involved in shady deals. The police force is more like a powerful yakuza family. Shun Sugata’s lead performance is very mesmerizing as he gets wearier and more twisted by every scene before finally breaking down during the powerful climax. Confessions of a Dog is a criminally underseen masterpiece. And yes, that pun was intended.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyxm80VrGZk - DirectorMasashi AbeTakao AboTakahiro HaradaStarsYûichi NakamuraAya EndôMegumi NakajimaA young stunt pilot named Alto Saotome's life is changed after he joins SMS, a military company on the Frontier. By some fate, Alto begins to fall for the galactic idol, Sheryl Nome, along with his friend and rising pop star, Ranka Lee.Macross Frontier: Wings of Goodbye
Macross Frontier: Wings of Goodbye is the second part of a two-part film adaptation of the Macross Frontier TV series (see the first film lower on this list). Continuing right where the first film left off, Wings of Goodbye brings the drama to new heights with absolutely gorgeous animation and breathtaking concert scenes that are among the most imaginative animated sequences of the new millennium. Kawamori does not sacrifice character or story depth for prettier fireworks. In fact, Wings of Goodbye delivers the greatest pieces of character development for its lead trio and delivers it with pathos and style that leaves the audience wanting more.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQYJ1dgnH_I - DirectorNobuhiro YamashitaStarsKeishi NagatsukaHiroshi YamamotoMachiko OnoTsuboi and Kinoshita have just arrived at a desolate town. Both of them are amateur filmmakers. Tsuboi is a screenwriter and Kinoshita a director. They have come to this town because Funaki, an actor, has tempted them to come here, but he has yet to arrive. Tsuboi and Kinoshita start wandering around the town and happen to meet a young woman, Atsuko. The three of them go on a journey together and become friends. But one day, Atsuko disappears.Ramblers
Ramblers is one of Yamashita’s early films - before he made his breakthrough with Linda Linda Linda - that were uncompromisingly deadpan and hilariously absurd comedies. Ramblers follows two filmmakers who have come to a remote town in order to shoot a film, but their lead actor refuses to come. As they keep waiting for their star the two try to find ways to spend time in the village while getting to know each other and a mysterious girl that tags along. The film revels in its lack of direction - it is just as lost as the main characters, but that is on purpose. The story tugs along at a calm pace from one eccentric scenario to another, including a horrible inn that could compete with Trainspotting’s “Worst Toilet in Scotland”. Yamashita’s deadpan comedy works so well because he nails the gradual characterization of the three leads and because he is in full control of visual storytelling which is vital for heavily stylized comedies.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8SuTepgu-4 - DirectorTetsuya NakashimaStarsTakako MatsuYoshino KimuraMasaki OkadaA psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.Confessions
Confessions begins with a scene of a female teacher confessing to her class that her daughter was killed and that she knows two of her own students are responsible for it. Her confession ignites an unstoppable aftermath that involves both students and teachers. Working with themes of motherhood and social criticism, Nakashima creates a heavily stylized marvel of direction with moody lighting, stark cinematography and flashy editing. While the screenplay may be polarizing for its unapologetic view of the modern Japanese society, I think everyone can agree that the film's impeccable direction is one of the most impressive efforts of the past decade.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnws8ZymxME - DirectorMasayuki SuôStarsRyô KaseAsaka SetoKôji YamamotoA young man is falsely accused of molesting a high-school girl on a train. He is arrested and charged, and goes through endless court sessions, all the while insisting that he is innocent.I Just Didn't Do It
Masayuki Suo's I Just Didn't Do It is a ravishing take on the odd Japanese judicial system. An innocent man under suspicion is put through more trouble and segregation than a guilty man who admits his crime. The system is geared towards convicting suspects so that lawyers can take pride in their high conviction rates. The film depicts in great detail how it is wrong to consider a defendant guilty if not proven otherwise. Suo lays out his criticism in dialogue-heavy scenes with the firm self-confidence of a veteran. He keeps his explanations simple stupid, but does not do so at the cost of dramaturgy or important points. I Just Didn’t Do It is a very devastating and determined masterpiece that wants to get its message through, but it never succumbs to using cheap tricks or melodrama to achieve it.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUD0ENBeFBM - DirectorShûichi OkitaStarsAyumi ItoKengo KôraGô AyanoWere people's lives changed by having known Yonosuke?The Story of Yonosuke
Shuichi Okita's heartwarming The Story of Yonosuke is a delicate portrayal of how its titular person can change the lives of the people he knows and how he will be remembered. It is like a Japanese Forrest Gump with a twist: the protagonist's death is revealed midway through the film and the film begins to contemplate on the ways he influences other people even when he is not around anymore. Okita's comical genius carries the film as his protagonist handles various scenarios with his offbeat but well-meaning personality. The film is not all about Yonosuke either: his girlfriend is one of the greatest and most hilarious characters in film history, be it recent or old. The earnestness and optimism of Okita's direction is very contagious and even though the story can be downbeat at times you will find yourself smiling by the time the credits roll.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHpKWhMWoNA - DirectorNaomi KawaseStarsKohei FukungagaYuka HyyoudoNaomi KawaseThe Aso family live in the old town of Nara. One Day, Kei, one of the Aso's twin boys suddenly disappears. Five years later seventeen-year old Shun, the remaining twin, is an art student. He now has to move forward with his life, together with his childhood friend, Yu.Shara
The disappearance of one of the twin boys launches Kawase's meditation into the cycle of life and death. Even though Shara is a much earlier film from Kawase, it is even more enigmatic and spiritual than her later films. In a way it is more refined than her more accomplished films: its ambiguous narrative hints and implies a lot instead of showing anything and its haunting camerawork captures the bizarrely captivating facial expressions of the haunted twin who is struggling to understand what happened to his brother. Shara's slowly burning drama and slow pace become increasingly enchanting. The festival dance scene in which the film culminates is particularly unforgettable for the inexplicable epiphany it provides for the characters who are troubled by ghosts of the past. Perhaps Shara's vagueness makes it much more intriguing than Kawase's other films: the lack of answers makes the viewer think more feverishly and the film gives enough hints to form one's own interpretation.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_AH729mSYR8 - DirectorIsao YukisadaStarsYôsuke KubozukaKô ShibasakiTarô YamamotoSugihara, born in Japan but with North Korean parents, falls in love with a Japanese girl after changing from a North Korean school to a Japanese school. His boxer dad teaches him boxing - skills used a lot.Go
Yukisada’s Go depicts a rebellious teenager of North Korean descent who decides to enter a Japanese high school after attending 9 years of North Korean schools in Japan. With a kinetic style, Yukisada paints a vivid picture of the notably mistreated minority - of their problems, fears and dreams. The film’s narrative jumps from one scene to another in a free-falling way, capturing his feelings of alienation, both from the mainstream Japanese culture and the patriotic North Korean community. While at first he seems to be a simple character - a rough fighter who trades blows just as often as he talks - he is revealed to be a much more complex character. The film digs deep into his psyche as he faces challenging questions of nationality, ethnicity and identity in a racist country. Yukisada directs the film with huge self-confidence as the scenes switch back and forth between contrasting tones yet the film never falls off its tracks. Go tackles a touchy subject in a bold but sophisticated way.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDjVlq5whKo - DirectorShûichi OkitaStarsKoji YakushoShun OguriTsutomu YamazakiRookie movie director Koichi and his crew travels to the mountain village of Yamamura to film his next movie. The villagers are eventually enlisted to help film the movie and, in particular, 60-year-old lumberjack Katsuhiko helps against his will.The Woodsman and the Rain
The meeting of a no-nonsense lumberjack and a backbone-less young director starts Shuichi Okita's insightful look into the stormy father-son relationships and filmmaking. Their bonding between the generational gap leads to changes in their own troubled lives. Okita's warm humor never makes a fool of his characters, but instead he embraces the straightforwardness of the lumberjack and the understandable skepticism of the director. Okita keeps the number of his jokes fewer than other comedy directors, but when he goes for laughter he does it with great success. Furthermore, The Woodsman and the Rain is a loving tribute to cinema as the characters struggle to put together a silly zombie film with great passion and dedication.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdyx-xQcARE - DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsHideaki AnnoHidetoshi NishijimaMiori TakimotoJiro Horikoshi studies assiduously to fulfill his aim of becoming an aeronautical engineer. As WWII begins, fighter aircraft designed by him end up getting used by the Japanese Empire against its foes.The Wind Rises
Hayao Miyazaki's final film is perhaps the director's most personal work to date: a biography of Jiro Horikoshi, the plane designer that Hayao Miyazaki has idolized since his youth. Horikoshi was a man who was much more interested in designing beautiful planes than the war Japan was so invested in. That is also what Miyazaki is more interested in although he subtly criticizes Japan's war crimes as he delves into the dreams and fears of his sophisticated protagonist, voiced brilliantly by Hideaki Anno. The Wind Rises is a testament to Miyazaki's love for flight: the film's exquisitely detailed depictions of the planes and flying are breathtakingly beautiful. However, for a film that is so dreamlike and haunting it could be an animated Fellini film, Miyazaki's treatment of Horikoshi's wife's tuberculosis is distracting in its out-of-blue melodrama.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhHoCnRg1Yw - DirectorMasayukiKazuya TsurumakiHideaki AnnoStarsKotono MitsuishiMegumi OgataMegumi HayashibaraIn the face of increasingly bizarre and powerful Angel attacks, Shinji Ikari and his partner Rei Ayanami are assisted by two new pilots: the fiery Asuka Langley Shikinami and the mysterious Mari Illustrious Makinami.Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance
The second part of a film series of the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise (you can find the first part lower on this list), Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance takes the original story to a surprising new direction. For fans of the original TV series it is a shocking change that may be hard to accept in some parts, but the result is a thrilling revision that does not ruin the fascinating story or its colorful characters. Instead, director Hideaki Anno develops them in new ways that will result in something thematically big and meaningful in later parts of the film series. The film drives its heartbreaking drama home with creepy covers of Japanese folk classics and gritty, explosive visuals that make it an unforgettable experience even for newcomers.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8OHbwd67Ls - DirectorKenji UchidaStarsMasato SakaiTeruyuki KagawaRyôko HirosueA failed actor switches identities with a stranger at a bath house thinking it is his way out of his life of misery but only to find himself filling the shoes of an elite assassin.Key of Life
The current Japanese trend of releasing tons of run-of-the-mill comedies does produce great results once in a while, and Key of Life's director Kenji Uchida is one of the most delightful discoveries of the past few years. He envisions the two protagonists trying to survive with their new identities in increasingly hilarious scenarios that involve the yakuza, a romantically oblivious career lady looking for a husband, and lots of corpses. Uchida’s masterful direction oversees everything: the comic details of characterization, the visual punchlines and the gripping pace that keeps the audience constantly on the edge. It is not just Uchida’s direction that makes the film so entertaining: Teruyuki Kagawa and Masato Sakai’s comical mastery nails the film. The result is one of the most imaginative comedies I have seen in a long time.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In4BnAsQDQc - DirectorYoshihiro NakamuraStarsGaku HamadaBengalAmi HachiyaAfter Satoru Watarai graduated from elementary school, he dropped out of school and decided to live within his apartment complex, never to venture outside. Satoru Watari then meets his old friends as they are coming back from their middle school classes. Satoru has now gotten a job at a cake shop within the apartment complex and eventually gets engaged to one of his friends. Satoru, still lives within the apartment complex only, but, as time passes, more of his friends leave.See You Tomorrow, Everyone
After the Second World War Japan built many "danchis", blocks of apartment buildings that hold everything an ordinary salaryman family needs, from barbers to shopping malls. In Yoshihiro Nakamura's See You Tomorrow Everyone, a boy decides that he will live his entire life without leaving the danchi he was born in. His commitment is put to test as people around him move out and the state of the area begins to collapse (because economically the danchies were disastrous projects). Nakamura's portrayal of the stubborn hero delves deep into his mind, covering everything from his love life and past traumas to his daily routine of checking that everyone in the danchi is safe. It is this wealthy amount of detail that makes the film so entertaining: with every scene Nakamura crafts the protagonist into a complex personality with insecurities, stubborn pride and genuine care for other people. The film covers a surprisingly long period of time and by the time it reaches the climax the audience is very emotionally invested in the hero.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR71z_ONS4M - DirectorIsao YukisadaStarsTatsuya FujiwaraKarinaShihori KanjiyaFour youths share a two bedroom apartment in a corner of Tokyo. A series of assault cases occur in the same district. Eighteen year old Satoru, a male prostitute, joins them as a new house mate. Their daily life slowly starts to change.Parade
Four young people sharing an apartment welcome a new resident until they realize that no one really knows him. Who is he and what is he doing in the apartment? That is how Parade’s exploration of modern day life and “knowing others” begins. The further the film goes, the more obvious it becomes that the residents do not know each other and that all of them have their own adventures. The film's gripping investigation into what makes the characters tick is surprisingly absorbing. The well-written naturalistic banter between the lead characters is just one of the things that makes the characters seem extremely real and multi-dimensional. Once the closeness to the characters has sunk in, the film delivers a real shocker in its perversely eerie climax that exposes something being wrong about the values of modern day life. In its own way Parade is a deeply unsettling film that has hidden its ideas inside an enigma.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrLh_M8ivis - DirectorSion SonoStarsShôta SometaniFumi NikaidôTetsu WatanabeAfter two teenagers from abusive households befriend each other, their lives take a dark adventure into existentialism, despair, and human frailty.Himizu
A high school student does not want to chase dreams and instead wishes to live a simple life renting boats, but his plans change when he has had enough of people abusing him. With the unwanted company of a crazily obsessed classmate, he enters a grim journey with an unpredictable conclusion. The Tohoku earthquake and tsunami took place during the film's production and Sono rewrote the script as a response to it. The title, Himizu, refers to a mole species that only lives in Japan, which refers to the characters who are going through a situation that is very much rooted in Japan's problems. In his own provocative and violent way, Sono delivers a message to a nation recovering from a devastating disaster with the help of the tour de force performances by the two young stars.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMo_T9_LPEs - DirectorKazuya ShiraishiStarsTakayuki YamadaPierre TakiLily FrankyJournalist Shuichi Fujii receives a letter from convicted killer Junji Sudo. Writing from death row, Sudo wants to confess to crimes unknown to the police. On visiting Sudo in prison, Fujii learns about a real estate broker called "Doc" who masterminded a string of murders that Sudo worked muscle for. Set up by Doc, Sudo seeks revenge and implores Fujii to find the evidence needed to bring in his former boss. Working off Sudo's sketchy memories, Fujii begins to piece together a grizzly tale of extortion, torture, rape, and arson. But as his desire to see Doc brought to justice nears the boiling point, he runs into resistance from his editor, who views the story as tripe, the police, who seem indifferent to the case, and his wife, who is at her wits' end dealing with his mother's increasing dementia. Based on true crime cases, "The Devil's Path" exposes the secret underbelly of crime in modern Japan.The Devil's Path
Many thrillers and crime films explore moral grayness, but in the case of The Devil's Path "moral blackness" is a more fitting name. A convicted killer asks a journalist to investigate crimes he has not yet confessed and the wicked mastermind behind all of his crimes. Why is the inmate making his confession now and what is he truly feeling? What is going on in the head of the cold-blooded mastermind who kills people for insurance money? These questions are central to understanding, but even more than them the film is interested in the guilt and conscience of the journalist. He breaks his family apart while dedicating himself to the investigation and hunting down the mastermind. In the process one begins to wonder who is the real "devil" in the film. Accompanied by sparse, creepy music and stark cinematography, The Devil's Path gives chilling and bleak answers to its thematic questions.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xcK-LxNpGs - DirectorYûya IshiiStarsRyûhei MatsudaAoi MiyazakiJoe OdagiriMajime, an eccentric man in publishing company, who has unique ability of words, joins the team that will compile a new dictionary, 'The Great Passage.' In the eclectic team, he becomes immersed in the world of dictionaries. But the team is overwhelmed with problems. Will 'The Great Passage' ever be completed?The Great Passage
Yuya Ishii's The Great Passage is an innocent and lighthearted film that depicts the process of making a dictionary from the scratch with a genuine dedication to detail. There really is not much else to the film: there are tussles with the publishers and a romantic storyline for the eccentric protagonist, but they are bypassed quite quickly. Even though the film spends almost two hours on the depiction of mundane dictionary work, it holds the viewer's interest throughout the film and delivers a few laughs in the process. The Great Passage may not be much more than feel-good entertainment, but as such it is top-notch quality.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlTjgcOQxjI - DirectorYoshihiro NakamuraStarsGaku HamadaEita NagayamaMegumi SekiA university student finds himself wrapped up in the bizarre world of his next door neighbor, learning about his history and relationship with a girl who changed his life.The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker
A young man moves to Tokyo for his university studies. As he learns his way around the new environment, he befriends a group of mysterious characters that drag him into an incredibly complicated string of events that will changes his life. Nakamura begins the film with a lighthearted tone and tons of humor, but the further the story goes the more serious it gets. While the tonal change of the later half may be a cruel surprise for the viewers, Nakamura packs a punch with a story which does not only rely on surprises, but also has a strong emotional core. It says something about the film that it overruled my other associations of Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind thanks to the clever way it is used. The film's non-sensical English title may disencourage interested film buffs, but it is a genuinely worthwhile experience.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFPokgHZJPM - DirectorNobuhiro YamashitaStarsMirai MoriyamaKengo KôraAtsuko MaedaKitamichi is a 19-year-old labor worker. He develops feelings for Yasuko who works in a used used bookstore, but he has never had a girlfriend. He also befriends Kusakabe, but jealousy soon threatens their friendship.The Drudgery Train
The Drudgery Train's plot synopsis sounds like it could be a slacker comedy combined with coming of age drama that forces its protagonist to change. However, it really is nothing like that: it portrays the ups and downs of the good-for-nothing scumbag protagonist as he screws up his life. Based on an autobiographical novel, The Drudgery Train is an uncompromising character study of a man with a bad upbringing sinking his chances of restarting his life as a blue-collar worker. The scumbag is not the typical sympathetic slacker protagonist: instead he is a tangibly real character who is both funny and annoying to watch. The Drudgery Train may not be a film for everyone despite its inviting premise, but it is a great portrayal of one of the least likable protagonists ever.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVY0w2Saa04 - DirectorToshiaki ToyodaStarsKyôko KoizumiAnne SuzukiItsuji ItaoA family struggling to live together even with the outrageous behaviors from each family members.Hanging Garden
Hanging Garden is a film about an open-minded family that keeps no secrets from each other and talk openly about any subject. Once an outsider becomes mixed with the family's daily routine, she begins to notice how deeply screwed up the family is. All the family members are lying and keeping up the facade only as an excuse to believe they are a normal family. Toyoda turns the situation into a jolly merry-go-round that keeps heating up as the family life is turning into a catastrophe. The enthralling mindtrip sequences and metaphorical references to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon drive the film to deconstruct the "Japanese dream" of normal life and in an unsettling way points out that the very basis of it is hypocritical. Toyoda has firm stylistic control over the film although I would have personally preferred calmer camerawork as the rotating camera becomes a nuisance in the later half of the film.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCMvqEP9cw0 - DirectorDaisuke MiuraStarsKazunobu MinetaMei KurokawaRyûhei MatsudaToshiyuki Tanishi (Mr Tanishi) is a 29-year-old chronic masturbator and toy vending machine salesman - he is socially awkward and down on his luck. Things change when he meets Chiharu a pretty woman who might actually be into him. Unfortunately, he has competition for Chiharu's affection from handsome, rival vending salesman Aoyama.Boys on the Run
I do not know the original manga that Boys on the Run is based on, but at least the film is a compelling - even if pessimistic - blast. A 29 year-old virgin is on his sexually frustrated quest to have sex with a cute co-worker, but things are going awfully wrong (even though the girl seems to be interested in him, too). When a friendly employee of a rival company helps him things go awry and the protagonist embarks on his personal Taxi Driver mission to fight for his girl although it is not even certain if she is worth fighting for. If the synopsis sounds confusing then watching the film is even more so. At the same time as Miura delivers raunchy low-brow humor with unusually smart punchlines, he puts his weak protagonist down a dirty and disturbing road that doesn’t offer any easy answers or rewards. The drunken adventures and second-hand embarrassment of the first half of the film load him with rage for a world that does not see the love and dignity in him. Boys on the Run is very uncomprising and uncomfortable - and all the more fun for that very reason.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnbquT6cj0Y - DirectorHiroshi IshikawaStarsAoi MiyazakiShioli KutsunaSakura AndôFour women, who have their own different sorrows, embark on a road trip. They look back at their past and restart their lives.Petal Dance
The brilliance of Hiroshi Ishikawa's Petal Dance lies in its naturality. It is a result of letting the talented actresses improvise most of the dialogue because that makes the film really down-to-earth and the characters tangible. All of the four women on the road trip have something they want to get over, be it a suicide attempt or love problems. Their quiet trip through beautiful landscapes brims over with silent melancholy and uplifting hopefulness that is very contagious. Most of the film consists of the women just talking or wandering around, but it never gets repetitive thanks to Ishikawa's gracious direction that lets the imagination float freely. The risk of relying on improvisation is that the story remains only on the surface, but Petal Dance succeeds at creating an involving drama that has substance beyond its pretty surface.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_j1f4bfWQ9M - DirectorDaihachi YoshidaStarsRyunosuke KamikiAi HashimotoSuzuka OhgoA story about the disappearance of Kirishima, a star athlete of the volleyball club, and how this affects every person in his school.The Kirishima Thing
Although high school and youth are one of the most popular subjects in Japanese cinema, The Kirishima Thing - one of the biggest domestic hits of the new millennium - found a new, refreshing approach to the all-too-familiar subject. The disappearance of a star leads the other students to reconsider their life and position in the strict hierarchy of popularity. The film's pace seems a bit awkward at first when it keeps jumping back and forth in chronology, trying to tie its huge cast together, but it does that for a good reason. As the routine school life begins to fall apart, the students find themselves growing up to adulthood in subtle ways that become obvious only during the complex, zombie-filled climax. Yoshida's method of underplaying the thematics and character complexity works to the film's advantage and he directs his young and talented cast with self-confidence.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioqbDtQV2L0 - DirectorShôgo FuruyaSatoshi KonStarsTôru EmoriYoshiaki UmegakiAya OkamotoOn Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.Tokyo Godfathers
Tokyo Godfathers is the ultimate Christmas movie. In it a homeless trio find an abandoned baby among the trash on Christmas Eve and decide to find the baby’s parents. The story is quite heavy for a Christmas film: all of the characters from broken families are wrought by drinking and gambling problems among other sad flaws. Yet Kon’s masterful take on the heavy subjects makes the film into an inspiring experience that is fitting for Christmas. The film does not romanticize its depiction of the homeless life, but it treats them with respect. It is full of hope for the suffering characters that struggle for happiness in the desolate world. The characters are the film’s charm: The banter of the trio is very funny and well-written. In fact, the whole film is very funny, but it takes its story and characters seriously enough.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Q6mcx2qF4Q - DirectorYukihiko TsutsumiStarsEri IshidaItsuji ItaoTakao ItôSet in Nagoya, Japan, movie follows homeless man Suzuki.My House
Yukihiko Tsutsumi is better known as a blockbuster director who turns big projects into commercial successes one after another. My House is his personal indie project with a small budget that he wanted to make for years. It contrasts the lives of a group of homeless people living in their movable huts in parks and a wealthy and cold-blooded family with an obsession over cleanness. He focuses on the differences in communication and caring between the polar opposites, pointing out how wealth does not guarantee satisfaction. Furthermore, Tsutsumi digs deep into the Japanese education system and his criticism of it is very condemning as the son of the wealthy family begins to go crazier under the pressure to produce results. My House is an amazingly detailed portrait of the two lifestyles although it may be a bit too uncomprisingly blunt and provocative for some viewers.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evYiVQSXJJw - DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKen'ichi EndôShungiku UchidaKazushi WatanabeA troubled and perverted family find their lives intruded by a mysterious stranger who seems to help find a balance in their disturbing natures.Visitor Q
Only the crazy genius Takashi Miike would come up with a story of a dysfunctional family returning to the traditional family model with the help of necrophilia, rape, incest and lactation. Visitor Q may not be everyone's piece of cake, but Miike's visionary experimentation with provocative and extreme storytelling pays off very well. He does not try to explain his weird plot devices, like the mysterious stranger, and he does not apologize for the unsettling and over-the-top style of the film. Instead he does not pull any punches as he dives into the life of a screwed up documentary filmmaker who turns the camera on his own family.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRc6dN7s1w4 - DirectorShôji KawamoriYasuhito KikuchiStarsAya EndôJun FukuyamaSôichirô HoshiRumours arise in the Frontier government when Sheryl Nome arrives to the fleet for her concert and is marked a spy for Galaxy. Also Alto and Ranka both try to achieve their dreams as the battle between Frontier and the Vajra draws closer.Macross Frontier: The False Songstress
Macross Frontier: The False Songstress is the first film of a two-part film adaptation of the Macross Frontier TV series. Macross is a franchise that combines transforming mecha fighters fighting to save humanity from mysterious aliens, pop idols belting out catchy and futuristic J-Pop tunes, and a dramatic love triangle between a fighter pilot and two idols. Director Shoji Kawamori has discovered a good formula that combines the three aspects into a hugely entertaining blockbuster. Yoko Kanno's soundtrack is responsible for some of the best J-Pop tunes of the past decade that will change the minds of even the most venomous J-Pop haters. What makes Macross Frontier stand apart from its competitors is Kawamori's bizarre hippy philosophy that he successfully inserts into his mecha musicals.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFcdhjhCG9w - DirectorMamoru HosodaStarsAoi MiyazakiTakao OsawaHaru KurokiAfter her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident while hunting for food for their children, a young woman must find ways to raise the werewolf son and daughter that she had with him while keeping their trait hidden from society.Wolf Children
Mamoru Hosoda tells the sad tale of a woman who falls in love with a werewolf and is forced to raise their werewolf children alone in secret, without knowing how to do it. As the children grow up they need to make their own choice on how to live: embrace the nature or get adjusted to society. Hosoda plays the story with an almost overt sentimentalism, but it is rarely distracting. He also avoids the pitfalls of furry eroticism with the sweet love story of the parents. The depiction of the mother's hardships is exquisitely detailed and striking, but Hosoda adds a sufficient amount of comic relief to the silly antics of the children so the story never gets too overbearing for the audience. If you like sentimental melodrama Wolf Children should be right up your alley because it is a tearjerker that knows what it is doing.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xLji7WsW0w - DirectorKôji MaedaStarsYuriko YoshitakaRyô KaseKenta HamanoA slapstick comedy about a woman who has led a life of noncommittal romance, and ends up scrambling to find someone to marry.Cannonball Wedlock
Koji Maeda's Cannonball Wedlock is a worthwhile and surprisingly rich character study disguised (and promoted) as a chick flick comedy. A woman keeps her five boyfriends on an efficient and organized rotation, but when her best friend gets married she begins to dump her boyfriends one by one to figure out who she wants to marry. Maeda's portrayal of the character is ruthless: her cold and unsympathetic ways to categorize and list the pros and cons of each boyfriend is not just for laughs, it forms a fascinating and honest picture of an independent woman who does not want to admit her own feelings. Living in contradiction, her unhappiness accumulates into an explosive finale in which she is seen both as an egoistic monster and a desperate woman looking for understanding and care. It is rare to see films pull off both at the same time - and even more so when it comes to run-of-the-mill romantic comedies. That is exactly why I personally fell in love with Maeda's Cannonball Wedlock and the great heroine played brilliantly by Yuriko Yoshitaka.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAzd-To-P5g - DirectorSang-il LeeStarsEri FukatsuSatoshi TsumabukiDendenA young woman's murder provokes reflection on the ugliness and villainy of modern society.Villain
IMDB's plot synopsis for Villain couldn't be more misleading. The film's exploration of a murderer on the run does not antagonize the society and sympathize with the perpetrator. While it spends a lot of time portraying all the perspectives involved in the murder and acknowledging the responsibility of others, Villain is special for the fact that it makes the audience realize that a murder is a crime and murderers need to redeem themselves, no matter how sympathetic the criminal may seem at first. Lee's weepy melodrama fits better with Villain's moral lecture rather than his Unforgiven remake, which reaches its climax with a hard-hitting monologue about the current state of society. Villain's many sidestories are all tied up by its theme of villainy in a clever way although some parts of the bloated story should have been left on the editing floor.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s6ELkB1LXY - DirectorDaihachi YoshidaStarsEriko SatôAimi SatsukawaHiromi NagasakuTraumatic incidents, conflicts, and bloody quarrels awaits the Wago family members who return home to bury their parents.Funuke, Show Some Love, You Losers!
Daihachi Yoshida may have made his breakthrough with the naturalistic The Kirishima Thing, his roots lie in a distinctive, mangaesque sort of filmmaking. Funuke tells the story of a family after the parents die while trying to save a cat and the remaining children try to make ends meet. What is so exaggerated and mangaesque about Funuke is not its visual style, but its combination of the wild characterization of the family, the eccentric humor and the all-around craziness of the script. Yoshida jumps into the story in medias res and gradually reveals the twisted conflict between the two crazy sisters and their stepbrother all the while building up tension and frustration that lead up to the mindblowing climax. Yoshida's exaggerated characters and twists may be over-the-top at times, but he knows what he is doing with his unusual script and doesn’t resort to cheap drama or obnoxious gags.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmKuMtMvs88 - DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKenji SawadaKeiko MatsuzakaShinji TakedaA family moves to the country to run a rustic mountain inn when, to their horror, the customers begin befalling sudden and unlikely fates.The Happiness of the Katakuris
Loosely adapted from Kim Jee-woon's The Quiet Family, Takashi Miike's The Happiness of the Katakuris is a tongue-in-cheek adaptation of the terrifying story of a family running a remote inn that decides to hide the murder that occurred in their inn. Combining hilariously exaggerated visual styles, musical numbers and pitch black humor, Miike turns the thriller into a farce that breaks all the boundaries. One particularly cruel but hilarious sequences involves a famous sumo wrestler eloping to the inn with an underaged schoolgirl, which takes a grim turn at night. With crimes piling up and the family's cover beginning to slip up, the fate of the family seems doomed. The Happiness of the Katakuris is nuts even by Miike's crazy standards and he has a blast with getting all the fun out of its twisted scenario.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDfMXwRapNc - DirectorJun'ichi KanaiStarsAoi YoshikuraYûya YagiraYûko AraiAfter her father's death, Hatsumi moved to this small town with her lawyer mother. Hatsumi joined the marathon team in school with her best friend Mari. Being irritated with her mother, Hatsumi felt lonely in this new life. One day Hatsumi met Ryutaro, a boy working for waste paper recovery. Soon they became close to each other. However one day, Ryutaro sexually attacked Hatsumi suddenly. Hatsumi's mother made it a rape case and these two young lovers could not see each other. Hatsumi was suffering from her broken heart. She could not forgive Ryutaro but at the same time she was eager to see him. Drowning in mixed-up feelings, Hatsumi made a surprising decision to her future...Again
Hatsumi is a naive high school girl who has just moved to a new home with her strict and overprotective single mother. She breaks out of her mother’s strict surveillance after she falls for a handsome and lonely man who takes her around the town at night, but a misunderstanding leads to a rape that devastates both the perpetrator and the victim. Again ("I won't forgive you, I want to meet you" is the literal Japanese title) is a good investigation into the ambiguity of rape cases and how they ought to be resolved. The film's brooding depiction of the incident and the trauma is gently sensual and understanding but rightfully judgmental. Aoi Yoshikura's performance as Hatsumi is breathtaking as she brings forth her mixed feelings as she is unable to talk about the incident and people around her keep reminding her about it. Her mother's influence is also put under scrutiny as she is not just a one-dimensional character that doesn't understand the situation. As the title implies, the two do meet "again" in order to resolve the trauma and the film reaches a smart conclusion in its intense climax that doesn't lift the burden of the trauma, but suggests that she should do her best to move forward in her life.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmhjU_lDOf8 - DirectorSang-il LeeStarsShioli KutsunaKen WatanabeJun KunimuraJapanese-Korean filmmaker Sang-il Lee (Villain) has decided to reinterpret Eastwood's Oscar®-winning Unforgiven as a Japanese period film.Unforgiven
In response to American filmmakers remaking and adapting Japanese period films from the 50's, Sang-il Lee adapted Clint Eastwood's western classic into a Japanese period film. The western setting works surprisingly well in the Northern Japan setting as the film portrays the cruel mistreatment of the Ainu tribes under Japanese rule. While the original's western tropes are notably foreign for a Japanese film, Lee has managed to mix them well together with samurai traditions and Japan's history. The result is neither Japanese or American, but it is a fascinating portrayal of the discriminated and a proper character study that does not pale in comparison to the original - although it does not add much to the original apart from the localization needed. Lee has a habit to introduce bits of hammy melodrama here and there, but in overall Unforgiven is a hard-hitting drama that lets the audience feel the heavy burden of its characters.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj3gwo01Pf4 - DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsTôma IkutaRyôhei AbeYoshiki ArizonoReiji Kikukawa, who has a strong sense of justice, graduated from the police academy with the lowest score ever. He becomes a police constable, but is suddenly fired by the Police Chief due to "disciplinary" issues. In actuality, the firing is part of a carefully orchestrated plan. Reiji is ordered to become a "mole," an undercover cop. His target is Shuho Todoroki, the boss of the Sukiyakai gang. The group is the largest crime group in the Kanto area. Masaya Hiura, who works as a young boss of a Sukiyakai affiliated gang likes Reiji. While going through various hardships, Reiji works his way towards Shuho Todoroki.The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji
Miike still keeps making films at a manic pace although he has calmed down from his V Cinema days after settling down as a director of mainstream projects. His films tend to be more boring in general these days and the quality varies a lot from film to film. However, The Mole Song is a refreshing change of pace for the cult director: while it is a through-and-through blockbuster (complete with a Johnny’s idol as the lead actor) it is one of the most engaging pieces of pure entertainment of the past few years. The Mole Song is a hyperactive comedy about a cop who sinks deeper and deeper into a web of conflicting loyalties, fights and backroom deals as he enters a yakuza family as an undercover agent - all the while trying to get rid of his virginity. The Mole Song certainly doesn’t turn around the cliches of undercover agent films, but it takes a refreshing approach to the all-too-familiar narrative. Furthermore, it is full of Miike’s trademark humor that hasn’t been as hilarious and aggressive in some time. In overall, The Mole Song is a welcome return to form for one of Japan’s most notorious filmmakers.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCop13iFdFU - DirectorYôjirô TakitaStarsMasahiro MotokiRyôko HirosueTsutomu YamazakiSoon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.Departures
In this Oscar-winning film, a celloist returns to his home in the countryside after his orchestra breaks up. The film’s drama begins as he takes up the job of taking care of the dead. The film certainly likes its exaggerated acting and overt sentimentality as the protagonist’s struggles with acceptance, death, and family are overwrought with emotion. The melodrama surrounding the stigma of working with dead bodies seems a bit weird for someone who has not grown up in a culture that despises anyone working in the industry. However, Departures has the much-needed dignity for the morbid subject and the emotional depth beneath the melodramatic surface. I can understand why it won the Academy Award: it is the right sort of tearjerker film that introduces the foreign audience to an “exotic” culture of tradition and rituals. And it is indeed a very good film although I do not think it deserves as much praise as it has received globally.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtdENmR6jKw - DirectorKiyoshi SasabeStarsAoi MiyazakiMasato SakaiMitsuru FukikoshiA husband is suffering from melancholia, and he wants to commit suicide. His wife, who is a cartoonist, forces him to quit his job for the therapy. The wife's optimism influence the husband, and they live happily ever after.My S.O. Has Got Depression
Based on a manga that was originally based on the author’s real life experience, My SO (Significant Other) Has Got Depression tells the story of a depressed salaryman and his manga author wife and how they dealt with the depression. At its own laid-back pace, the film portrays how he starts to space out, lose his appetite and feel worthless. For such a downbeat subject the film is surprisingly low-key and heartwarming. While the protagonist’s stiffness is sometimes comically exaggerated, the film never fools around and takes itself seriously (even though the trailer suggests otherwise). The film isn’t just superficially gentle: it doesn’t celebrate the couple as saints (or demonize them), but instead portrays their ups and downs in a very human way. It is an optimistic film that understands that depression is tough for everyone involved, but proposes that recovery is always possible.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKw7QFw2ZzM - DirectorEiji OkudaStarsSakura AndôTasuku EmotoMitsuru HirataKyoko is married with a young son and works as an insurance agent. Due to a series of unfortunate events, she brings shame to her family and has to leave her hometown. Shuichi has been in juvenile detention for a crime that he committed as a teenager. After he is released from prison, he begins to work at a small factory in Tokyo. Kyoko and Shuichi, who both left their hometowns, begin to live in Tokyo, but they face the after effects of an unprecedented earthquake and tsunami.Case of Kyoko, Case of Shuichi
Although Case of Kyoko, Case of Shuichi is one of the numerous films about the 2011 earthquake, it is less about the disaster and more about the troubled lives of its two unrelated protagonists from the disaster-stricken area. The film begins with the earthquake and then moves onto extensive flashbacks that thoroughly establish the characters who have had their unfair share of abuse, family problems, and crime in the past. The film wonders whether the two have a chance to restart their lives and atone for their pasts after the disaster. By the end of the film both of them have revisited their roots. The answers the film gives are ambiguous, both optimistic and pessimistic at the same time. Nothing is a given. Okuda portrays the gut-wrenching drama in a relentless but sentimental way although he falls for overt sentimentality, but it is excusable given the setting.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-idLr90ek8 - DirectorYoshihiro NakamuraStarsGaku HamadaFumino KimuraNao ÔmoriTadashi Imamura is a burglar who idolizes Ozaki, a star baseball player he shares a birthday with. One day he realizes their connection is much deeper than that and decides to find out more.Chips
A childish but earnest young man is obsessed with a baseball player who was a star in his youth. Born on the same day, the protagonist keeps comparing himself to the celebrity, thinking that he should be like the star to not disappoint his mother. However, there is an even deeper reason for his obsession that is revealed as his friends decide to cheer him up by having the badly performing walk to the pitch once again. Nakamura packs a lot of emotion and energy into the 68-minute running time that doesn't waste a second. With the help of potato chips and good friends, the protagonist comes to an unexpectedly moving conclusion that sets him free of his burden. Chips' charm lies in its packed drama that is filled with characters that all hold good intentions.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UzwWO3NPxs - DirectorNaoko OgigamiStarsSatomi KobayashiHairi KatagiriMasako MotaiWhere are we welcome? On a quiet street in Helsinki, Sachie has opened a diner featuring rice balls. For a month she has no customers. Then, in short order, she has her first customer, meets Midori, a gangly Japanese tourist, and invites her to stay with her, and meets Masako, a formal and ethereal middle-aged woman whose luggage has gone missing. The three women work in the diner, interact, and serve customers. A somewhat brusque man teaches Sachie to make delicious coffee, then he returns under other circumstances. Three neighborhood women inspect the empty diner every day; will anything bring them inside? We learn why Sachie serves rice balls; but why Finland?Kamome Diner
A Japanese woman running a restaurant in Helsinki wants to offer “soul food” to her Finnish customers. Meanwhile she comes across two other Japanese ladies in Finland: one is a Moomin fan and the other is looking for refreshment to her life. At the same time as the three try to attract customers to the restaurant, they befriend a young man interested in Japan and an alcoholic lady with worries on her mind. Ogigami’s leisurely film proceeds without much drama; it is more akin to slice of life with its episodic structure that moves on from one sequence to another without an all-encompassing dramatic structure. It is a curious product of the Japanese interest in Finland, but it is a relaxing and funny film for everyone, regardless of what one thinks of Finland or Japan.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SQaVr0sfJA - DirectorYôji YamadaStarsIsao HashizumeKazuko YoshiyukiMasahiko NishimuraIn this update of Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story", a retired schoolteacher and his wife visit their three working children in modern-day Tokyo.Tokyo Family
Yoji Yamada's Tokyo Family is a modern-day remake of Yasujiro Ozu's classic masterpiece, Tokyo Story. While one may wonder if there is a need to retell the timeless story in a modern setting Yamada does a very clever job in updating the story to newer generations. Its focus has shifted on several occasions, with the most notable change being that the film is less about the saintly Noriko and more about the dramatic final act of the original. However, the film does not indulge in cheap melodrama as one would expect, but instead it remains more hopeful and positive. Tokyo Family is a smart remake, but it does not completely escape the shadow of the great original.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txiOyMpgSSo - DirectorKatsuhito IshiiStarsMaya BannoTakahiro SatôTadanobu AsanoA spell of time of a rural family's slightly surreal life.The Taste of Tea
Katsuhito Ishii's The Taste of Tea is a charming film about the colorful life of a family in the countryside. It is occasionally surreal and otherworldly, other times mundane and down-to-earth. While the mother works on animation and grandfather tries to come up with the best anime poses, the son is struck with the love blues and the young daughter is going through a phase of self-reflection as a giant version of herself keeps bothering her. The film's relaxed pace and reggae-inspired soundtrack puts the audience at ease and not even a major plot turn in the later half of the film can change the laid-back atmosphere. The Earth keeps turning and the family lead their humorous lives that make even the weirdest things look mundane.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NcBL6cYGL4 - DirectorMamoru HosodaStarsRyunosuke KamikiNanami SakurabaMitsuki TanimuraA student tries to fix a problem he accidentally caused in OZ, a digital world, while pretending to be the fiancé of his friend at her grandmother's 90th birthday.Summer Wars
Mamoru Hosoda's summer blockbuster is an inspiring and moving tale of a large family joining forces to fight an evil presence that wants to turn the world upside down with the help of a social network. Hosoda manages to balance the enormous cast very well, giving each character a memorable personality and adeptly portraying the family as a strong collective unit despite the inner conflicts. Hosoda's portrayal of the gung-ho spirit of the family is endearing and the virtual world is also intriguing - even though the design is similar to virtual worlds seen in Hosoda's earlier films. The way Summer pumps up the tension and adrenaline leading up to its climax is exceptionally intense and the film certainly packs a lot of punch even though it is family-friendly feel-good entertainment.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryb3ljgtoMQ - DirectorToshiaki ToyodaStarsYoshio HaradaRyûhei MatsudaMichio AkiyamaNine convicts escape from prison; most are convicted murderers. They commandeer a van from a strip club.9 Souls
After an old con man reveals that he buried a treasure that has never been found, 9 inmates escape from prison to look for it. A ragtag group of colorful criminals, their quest becomes increasingly comical as the selfish characters are more interested in pleasing their own basic needs. However, they get to the treasure by the midpoint of the film only to find out that it is not what they have been looking for. From there begins the real focus of the film: all of the characters are given their own glimpses of humanity as they feverishly seek redemption and a return to their lives even though it is impossible. The film is titled '9 Souls' because it reveals that these tough criminals are broken souls who are yearning for care even though they are wrong-doers. 9 Souls is sympathetic to its characters, but not naively sentimental or forgiving.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKtgno6Xs5c - DirectorAtsushi FunahashiStarsAsami UsudaTakahiro MiuraYô TakahashiA young woman Shiori faces an accidental death of her beloved husband at a local industrial town, recovering from the 3.11 Tsunami disaster. Once detesting, Shiori is hesitant to admit her attraction for Takumi, the reason for the death of her husband. This is a story of a young woman, who forgives a man whom she once hated, and overcomes the past.Cold Bloom
Despite the plot synopsis, Cold Bloom is not a film about the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It follows the consequences of an accidental death at a factory. The wife he leaves behind and the man who is blamed for the accident go through their painful bouts of grief, atonement, and loss as they continue to commit themselves to working at the factory. Cold Bloom is a magnificent mood piece of working class suffering and coming to terms with death and responsibility. The unstable economy and the threat of financial doom loom over the two as they try to keep the factory up and running while dealing with their personal problems. Just like the title suggests, the characters are like the flowers of a cherry blossom tree that is struggling to bloom under rough circumstances.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIYIkG9YoHE - DirectorRyûichi HirokiStarsShinobu TerajimaNao ÔmoriRiho MakiseAfter meeting a handsome truck driver (Nao Omori) in the midst of an urban mini-mart, a 30-something freelance writer (Shinobu Terajima) embarks on a life-changing emotional journey of sexual self-discovery.Vibrator
Vibrator is an intimate depiction of the relationship of a truck driver and a bulimic woman in search of herself. The film is particularly interested in the woman who is an internal wreck with a mixture of deep psychological problems that are not only related to her drinking problems and eating disorders. The film lays out her thoughts in the open with a number of inner monologues. The lack of contact with others in her life leads her to the point that she impulsively hooks up with a truck driver. Vibrator is certainly one of the most physical and unflinching portrayals of a ravaged female soul. It doesn’t hesitate to depict her many complexes in detail as she begins to break down. However, the film is not without its problems: its direction is out of balance and the drama slightly cheesy or unnecessarily vulgar at times. Vibrator is a very good film that sheds light on a subject that gets often overlooked or misrepresented in other films.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkZj2zdac2U - DirectorShinji AoyamaStarsMasaki SudaKen MitsuishiYukiko ShinoharaCannes Film Festival winner Shinji Aoyama creates a chilling atmosphere in this adaptation of an award-winning novel. A young man tries to fight the deadly influence of his violent, abusive dad. Will the sins of the father carry on to the next generation in the bloodline?The Backwater
Set in 1988, the last year of the Showa era, The Backwater ponders whether the offspring of an abusive generation can escape the bad influence of their parents. As a young boy is about to enter adulthood he begins to struggle with his daddy issues. His father is a bastard who sleeps around and beats women. He is so bad that the boy’s mother aborted his second baby and divorced. Just as it looks like the film is going to go down a grim and violent road, it turns the tables as the boy honestly struggles with not imitating his father. The film keeps betraying expectations in great ways as the gritty cycle of sex and domestic violence ends up in a smart and surprisingly hopeful conclusion. The film’s inner monologues make it clear that it is based on a novel (an award-winning one at that) and the broken family talks about its problem with open casuality that is weird at first, but it works very well in the end.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgFEjqVN70Y - DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsCate BlanchettMatt DamonLiam NeesonA five-year-old boy develops a relationship with Ponyo, a young goldfish princess who longs to become a human after falling in love with him.Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea is a full-blown children's film. Miyazaki wanted to create a film that works with the logic of a child's imagination: it jumps from one scene to another with craze, disregarding plot conventions on a whim. Ponyo is all the more fun for that very reason even if it comes at the cost of plot coherence and dramatic impact. Miyazaki decided to produce the film with nothing but hand-drawn animation and it ends up being one of the most impressive showcases of animation ever - especially the scenes with big waves are awe-inspiring. The underwater scenes of the fable-like underwater kingdom are also a feast for the eyes. While Ponyo may not cater to the adult audiences as richly as Ghibli's other films, it is a great film in its own right.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh4rqs62pL8 - DirectorKeisuke YoshidaStarsKumiko AsôShôta YasudaYôko AkinoMabuchi and Yoshimi meet at a screenwriting class. Mabuchi works hard to become a writer, but can't see a future for herself. Meanwhile, Yoshimi is a bigmouth who never tries hard at anything. These two people's fate intertwined.The Workhorse and the Bigmouth
The Workhorse and the Bigmouth takes a refreshing approach to portraying the pain of creative process as two writers struggle with starting their screenwriting careers. One of them is an experienced but not particularly talented woman who puts all of her effort and time into her work. The other one is a first-timer who believes he will change the film industry once he bothers to write something. When a film pits a workaholic lady with a lack of interest in other people against a talkative young guy, you would expect the film to turn into a romance by the last act, but The Workhorse and the Bigmouth ignores the money-milking path and instead delves into a character study of two people chasing their dreams. The film does revolve around the entertaining banter of the two opposites, but what the story offers is something much more mature and fascinating than a simple romantic ending. What the film deals with is the fact that sometimes it is hard to know that you are not talented enough and even harder to give up on a dream you have been chasing for years.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5VWN_O8gtI - DirectorKôji WakamatsuStarsShinobu TerajimaShima ÔnishiKen YoshizawaThe story of a village woman given the grueling task of looking after (and fulfilling the sexual needs of) her quadruple amputee husband, a Japanese soldier in the Second Sino-Japanese War who has been decreed a "War God" by the Emperor.Caterpillar
Caterpillar is a condemning depiction of wartime Japan. A soldier returns home as a limbless deaf-mute and hailed as a war hero. His wife is revolted, but does her duty to take care of her husband's lusty needs. Wakamatsu uses the couple to show how empty and meaningless the patriotism is in all of its forms: what do the medals, newspaper stories, celebrations and ceremonies help when the man is reduced to a lump of flesh with a bag of traumas? All the while the couple is supposed to be an example for the rest of the society of "courage and dedication to the nation" and the villagers celebrate their "war god". While Caterpillar goes over-the-top in portraying the gruesomeness of the situation it is a powerful anti-war film that disturbs the viewer for a good reason.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRlJzGHKuIE - DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsTadanobu AsanoNao ÔmoriShin'ya TsukamotoAs sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.Ichi the Killer
Ichi the Killer's reputation precedes itself: the cult film has gathered a huge following for the director over the years for its graphical violence, twisted humor and even more twisted scenario. Miike's anarchic (even if clean) style is at its best with the madness and violence of Ichi the Killer. He turns the absurd violence into black humor as the two screwed up killers explore the world of pain with a bizarre arsenal of torture mechanisms. Ichi the Killer still features Miike's rougher and "cheaper" style from his V Cinema days, which makes it a more captivating experience than some of the more polished films he proceeded to make afterwards.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNxLlVkR1L0 - DirectorKazuyoshi KumakiriStarsHikari MitsushimaKaoru KobayashiGô AyanoTomoko is sick and tired of her relationship with unpopular talented writer Shingo, who is married and has children. Tomoko then enters into a sexual relationship with younger man Ryota, but Tomoko is still not satisfied.The End of Summer
Adapted from a controversial biography by a woman whose sex life and unconventional personality shocked Japan back in the 60's (and who later turned into a Buddhist nun), The End of Summer is a sensual account of a woman's feelings when she is in the middle of a love triangle. The film mostly uses intimate close-up shots that observe the characters and load their interactions with an abundance of tension. When these shots are combined with dim lighting and hazy colors, the film's visuals are a real treat. Carried by the strong lead performance of Hikari Mitsushima, the film overcomes some of the problems of its loose structure thanks to its consistent and enthralling atmosphere. Kumakiri's elegant adaptation may not offer much insight or thematical exploration, but it is a powerful depiction of a woman's turbulent love life.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6jCoownZ6c - DirectorHayao MiyazakiStarsChieko BaishôTakuya KimuraTatsuya GashûinWhen an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.Howl's Moving Castle
Torn apart by various production issues and conflicts, Howl's Moving Castle was a tough film for Ghibli to make, but the result is still nearly as great as the other Ghibli masterpieces. Based on Diana Wynne Jones' fantasy novel, Howl's Moving Castle is a tale of a cursed woman who joins forces with a dreamy wizard and takes care of his magical home. Miyazaki unleashes his magic with wonderful sequences that range from dancing in the sky to introducing the moving castle in a glamorous fashion. Although the film feels a bit cluttered thanks to its unusual narrative, it is nevertheless a splendid experience full of wonder and entertainment that only Ghibli can deliver.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZZwV7o41Bw - DirectorNaomi KawaseStarsNijirô MurakamiJunko AbeMiyuki MatsudaOn a subtropical island, a teenage couple deal with the interwoven cycle of life, death and love.Still the Water
Naomi Kawase's latest film is a meditation on death, love and the cycle of life. As two teenagers are falling in love, both of them have to deal with their parents' issues and dying relatives. Does the troubled love of a parent dictate the future of the offspring? Kawase's beautiful imagery of the tropical and old-fashioned island serves as a good backdrop for the supernatural story of acceptance of loss and others. The director herself considered Still the Water her best movie because it delivers her thoughts of life the best. While it is a fantastic piece of thematic cinema I don't think it reaches the heights of her better work, such as Shara and The Mourning Forest.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzcHUPrKMzo - DirectorKore-eda HirokazuStarsKôki MaedaOshiro MaedaRyôga HayashiTwelve-year-old Koichi, who has been separated from his brother Ryunosuke due to his parents' divorce, hears a rumor that the new bullet trains will precipitate a wish-granting miracle when they pass each other at top speed.I Wish
For fans of the director, the family-friendly I Wish feels like a compromise. Following a group of children who engage in their sweet little mission is not what one would expect from the contemporary master of human drama. However, the film is not that bad even if you go expecting Koreeda's explorations of modern day life. His top-notch direction of child actors is decisive: all the children come across as natural kids with distinctive and lovable personalities. Just like in his other films, Koreeda's understanding of modern day families is central to the film as the kids have their own family issues. The film also has its slightly darker moments, but in overall it is marked by chirpy optimism that helps the children grow up a little by the end of the film.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M63wEJBzupE - DirectorYosuke FujitaStarsYoshiyoshi ArakawaYoshino KimuraYoshinori OkadaA tragicomedy about two listless friends who fall for the same girl and try to find out what they want from their life.Fine, Totally Fine
Fujita's bizarre comedy is an acquired taste. It delivers its odd jokes with a dry and deadpan style that would even put Aki Kaurismäki to shame. The movie likes to delve in its odd humor that is sure to please a specific niche. It is inhabited by slacker characters who are occasionally frustrating and in the end they do not develop at all. Yet there is a peculiar charm to it: it is an easy-going film that lets you relax and have a laugh while following the clumsy characters go on their daily routine that remains untouched by drama and narrative tension. They are very well aware of their own weakness and the need to grow up, but in the end they go nowhere despite the hints. As the title suggests, they are fine, totally fine.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gIVJxdcRuI - DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKoji YakushoTakayuki YamadaYûsuke IseyaA group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.13 Assassins
Takashi Miike's work has become quite unstable in the past years, but films like 13 Assassins prove that the cult director is still capable of producing good films. It may be a bloody film, but it is equipped with the pathos and spirit of the post-war samurai films that made Japanese cinema popular worldwide. Miike does not put his trademark black humor aside, but it is certainly more restrained than in his other films. His gruesome depiction of the evil lord's crimes and actions is as serious as it gets and the character is quite unforgettable. The film is built for a gigantic 40-minute action spectacle that ends the film. The build-up to it is brilliant although the fight itself is very bloated and should have been executed in a different way.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgPC74-Tde8 - DirectorHitoshi MatsumotoStarsHitoshi MatsumotoDavid QuinteroLuis AccinelliA man wakes up in a white room empty other than buttons on the walls, he must find out which button to push to get what he wants.Symbol
Directed by comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto, Symbol is an absurd sketch stretched into the length of a full feature film. Even though the film's premise is so simple that one one wonders whether it works as a film, it is a laugh riot. A nameless man screaming and touching penises stuck in walls is much more hilarious than one would ever expect. The film spends way too much time on a sidestory of a lousy Mexican pro wrestler preparing for a match even though the storyline doesn't amount to much in the end. If you can ignore that flaw Symbol is a masterpiece of surreal humor and spot-on comic timing from the mind of a comic genius. Will the man be able to escape the room and what is awaiting him outside?
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6U3fT2SBtI - DirectorHiromasa YonebayashiStarsBridgit MendlerAmy PoehlerWill ArnettThe Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family's residence, borrowing simple items to make their home. Life changes for the Clocks when their teenage daughter Arrietty is discovered.The Secret World of Arrietty
The directional debut of Ghibli's Hiromasa Yonebayashi is a film about a family of tiny people living in secret in the floors and walls of a human house in the countryside. When an ill boy comes to rest in the house and discovers the tiny people, the fate of the family is endangered. Yonebayashi's direction echoes the Ghibli masters as he conjures up a fantasy full of adventure, wonder and love. The sequences in which the tiny family sneak into the house at night are both thrilling and awe-inspiring. Arrietty stands up fairly well to other Ghibli masterpieces, but it lacks the emotional depth that made Ghibli so popular and acclaimed. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest Ghibli because I want to see how Yonebayashi will mature as a director.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfkrMq2G71g - DirectorMakoto ShinkaiStarsKenji MizuhashiYoshimi KondouSatomi HanamuraTold in three interconnected segments, Takaki tells the story of his life as cruel winters, cold technology, and finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to test the delicate petals of love.5 Centimeters Per Second
Makoto Shinkai is an anime director known for his particularly beautiful images and melancholic films of failings in love and life. 5 Centimeters Per Second's segmental narrative focuses on the frailness and pain of first love and the bittersweetness of one-sided love. Shinkai's flourishing direction gives us unforgettable shots of people with broken hearts and his choices of music are fitting for the emotional stories, but even with such a short running time 5 Centimeters Per Second sometimes rambles on too long with its unnecessary inner monologues and the final part of the film feels rushed. In any case, 5 Centimeters Per Second is Shinkai's best effort.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxKn5AwOTis - DirectorSatoshi MikiStarsJoe OdagiriTomokazu MiuraKyôko KoizumiTakemura has no friends and no family. He's a law student but he doesn't have any particular ambitions. A thug offers to pay Takemura's considerable gambling debt if the student accompanies him on a trip across Tokyo.Adrift in Tokyo
A university student in debt is asked by a mysterious man to accompany him on a walk for an insane amount of money. Thus begins a journey of bonding beyond generational gaps and self-reflection. Satoshi Miki is a unique director in that he tells his stories with surreal gags instead of the usual dramatic banter. He creates a bizarre atmosphere with offbeat characters and twisted sequences as the two come closer to their destination, but as the film goes on both the viewer and the protagonist begin to wonder what the destination really is. In its own way, Adrift in Tokyo is a fitting portrait of the aimless youth and the older generation looking over them. At its own chill pace, Adrift in Tokyo trudges along and remains in memory a long time after the credits have rolled. The weird style might divide its viewers and leave some of them cold, but in Adrift in Tokyo Miki executes it with all of his heart.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Om6r_Ocfps - DirectorYoshihiro NakamuraStarsAtsushi ItôKiyohiko ShibukawaNoriko EguchiSeveral seemingly unrelated but surprisingly intertwined tales reveal how a Japanese band that independently invented punk rock in 1975 is, 37 years later, connected to a comet that is about to destroy the world.Fish Story
Yoshihiro Nakamura specializes in filming stories with incredible series of mindbending consequences and Fish Story is one of the best examples of his usual trademarks. Connecting four stories from four different decades, an obscure punk song ends up saving the world from an approaching comet. Nakamura joins the forces of a struggling punk band, an insecure and weak young man, a wannabe superhero and a suicidal teenage girl in entertaining, unpredictable ways that lead to an epic climax. The most unbelievable thing about the film is that even though all the parts of the chain of consequences are very outlandish and crazy, they never feel like they are part of a convoluted scenario. Instead all the stories have a charm to them that make them natural and enjoyable. Nakamura's mixture of comedy and drama works to his advantage so well that he can do whatever he pleases with the extravagant story.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC5E4-LRrTk - DirectorGorô MiyazakiStarsSarah BolgerChris NothAnton YelchinA group of Yokohama teens look to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.From Up on Poppy Hill
Being the son of a director with worldwide critical acclaim and large fanbase must be tough. After the disaster that was The Tales of Earthsea, the son of Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki, Goro Miyazaki, returned with a more solid effort, From Up on Poppy Hill. Based on his father’s script that is set in the post-war period of his youth, a romance is blooming between two high school students whose pasts seem to be connected while their treasured clubhouse is in danger. As can be expected from Ghibli, the depiction of the era and the city is full of delightful details and caring passion. The club house is a colorful setpiece even by Ghibli’s standards and there is no doubt about the animation quality either. However, the film does stumble a little in its dramatic romantic storyline that even implies icky incest at one point. But all is well by the ending in this uplifting story of a nostalgic period of time and youthful energy.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrfaMG07ChY - DirectorHiroshi HaraguchiMasayukiKazuya TsurumakiStarsMegumi OgataMegumi HayashibaraKotono MitsuishiThe fate of the world is threatened by seemingly monstrous entities known as Angels. NERV is an organization set up to counter this threat and it is up to young pilots to protect Earth but exactly what are the real motives behind NERV?Evangelion 1.0: You Are (Not) Alone
Originally a huge hit both critically and financially as a controversial TV series, the story of Neon Genesis Evangeion is being currently remade as a series of films that vastly change the original story for new thematic purposes. Evangelion 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone is the first film in the series. It does not deviate much from the beginning of the original story: it introduces the characters and the world in addition to offering gloriously animated action scenes. With a significantly bigger budget the visuals have been updated to be more glossy and spectacular and naturally the structure and pacing of the storytelling are different in the film format, but it follows the original closely. While I am a big fan of the franchise this film suffers from being a somewhat tedious first part to an epic story that will unfold its drama and thematic exploration only in later parts. Nevertheless, as blockbuster entertainment Evangelion 1.0 is top-notch.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3FYymwS4RM - DirectorEisuke NaitôStarsAki MiyataKaori KobayashiTakara HiromuThe film follows a group of five high school girls led by a psychopath who decide to make their teacher have a miscarriage after hearing the news of her pregnancy.Let’s Make the Teacher Have a Miscarriage Club
A group of schoolgirls that abuse and kill small animals form a club that aims to have their pregnant teacher get a miscarriage. Naito’s film has disgusted its viewers in Japan and at international film festivals, but it is not mere exploitation. It is a ravishing take on the faulty Japanese education system and the overprotective parents that control it. It is not just a film that disguises itself as a piece of social criticism: the film depicts its cruel schoolgirls being unable to come to terms with the female body and the conclusions it reaches are much more mature than one would expect. Naito is not satisfied with just portraying the state of affairs. Instead, he offers tough solutions and hope for a screwed up system in case it is willing to change. Punctuated by foreboding post-rock and full of amazing cinematography despite being shot with cheap digital cameras, Let’s Make the Teacher Have a Miscarriage Club is fascinating small-budget cinema for viewers that are ready to stomach its gut-wrenching content.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdxNOh8zCEg - DirectorJun IchikawaStarsIssei OgataRie MiyazawaShinohara TakahumiWhen technical illustrator Tony Takitani asks his wife to resist her all-consuming obsession for designer clothes, the consequences are tragic.Tony Takitani
Based on a short story by world-famous author Haruki Murakami, Tony Takitani is a cinematic poem of loneliness and sorrow. The lonely protagonist is used to his lonesome existence. Even the film acknowledges it by not giving the people around him recognizable faces - it is almost as if his loneliness is of metaphysical sort. The camera follows him from a distance to increase the effect. Furthermore, the grey, monotonous colors and very clinical and precise framing make Tony Takitani's existence mundane despite his odd name. Ryuichi Sakamoto's haunting soundtrack is the icing on the cake. The unique style of the film make it stand apart from other films, but it is also its downfall: the style is exhausting in the long run and even though the film is short, it becomes a bit repetitive by the end of the film. But I recommend Tony Takitani in any case because it is a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience that is very rewarding.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL48aOyK5cg - DirectorNobuhiro YamashitaStarsAtsuko MaedaSuon KanShôko FujimuraTamako graduated from a university in Tokyo, but she now lives with her father back in Kofu. Tamako doesn't help her father or tries to get a job. She spends her time just eating and sleeping throughout the four seasons of the year.Tamako in Moratorium
Tamako in Moratorium is a star vehicle for its former idol star, Atsuko Maeda. Differing from Yamashita's other films, Tamako in Moratorium is centered around one character who embodies the problems of Japan's high youth unemployment rates. Although Tamako is a lazy slacker she is very well aware of her situation and would rather want his single father kick her out of the house. She can't stand her own situation, but she doesn't have the ability to put together a career for herself. Instead she spends more time daydreaming of an acting career and hanging around with an elementary school kid who lives in the neighbourhood. Tamako in Moratorium is a short and sweet take on child-parent relationships and the burden of unemployment in a society that has let its youth drift to passive hopelessness.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJKNK0M-hfg - DirectorRyûichi HirokiStarsTokio EmotoYukichi KobayashiYuto KobayashiHikari is drifting through Tokyo until she meets Yuji. Hikari's boyfriend got killed in Akihabara in 2008. Yuji's parents went missing after the earthquake of 3/11. Can they both find peace? Filmed in Tokyo and the Fukushima prefecture, this small poetic masterpiece shows the search for hope and forgiveness in the face of destruction.River
A woman returns to Akihabara for the first time after her boyfriend died in the Akihabara massacre. As she wanders around she recalls memories of her boyfriend and meets people who knew him. It is a spiritual journey for getting over the trauma that has dictated the last few years of her life. Hiroki captures the tale of grief with shaky long takes that plunge into the crowded streets of Akihabara as if it was a documentary. The film ends with a haunting cover of Audrey Hepburn's Moon River that accompanies the protagonist's final touching epiphany. While River is thin on content and sometimes clumsy in its dramatization, it is a refreshing cinematic experience that I am always welcome to rewatch.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8OVbeNgOCM - DirectorShinji AoyamaStarsHaruma MiuraNana EikuraManami KonishiHaving gone through trauma and pain for most of his life a man finds refuse in his camera and the parks and greenery of Tokyo following a recent dismal event. On one such occasion he is approached by a dentist who instead of being anxious about the photographer snapping pictures of his wife hires him for a good penny to follow her as she walks through parks, photograph her and share the pictures. The photographer's personal habit becomes a paid gig.Tokyo Park
A photographer is hired by a rich man to take photos of his wife. What ensues is not a detective mystery, but an ambiguous exploration of the protagonist and the people around him. Tokyo Park is odd because it is like an inflexible piece of Play-Doh that doesn’t let the viewer penetrate into itself yet it is very much about the characters and their minds. It holds everything at a distance even though it is not shot in that way - Aoyama has abandoned his usual long-take style for something more snappy but nevertheless calculated. A cold air of playful sophistication surrounds the whole film as it doesn’t seem to unfold its story at all. It teases the audience by poking around its point with smug self-confidence. It is a fascinating exploration of loneliness with unforgettable characters although it leaves the viewer mystified even when the credits roll.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uI0BKye1pY0 - DirectorNobuhiro YamashitaStarsKahoMasaki OkadaElisa YanagiWhen eighth grade cool guy Hiromi transfers from Tokyo to a small elementary/middle school with only six kids enrolled, wholesome and honest Soyo becomes enthralled with his sophisticated world.A Gentle Breeze in the Village
Based on a manga series of the same name, A Gentle Breeze in the Village is set in a small village in the Japanese countryside and it follows the life of a happy-go-lucky teenager whose life changes once a transfer student from Tokyo enters her school that only teaches a handful of students. After a series of sweet and inconsequential hijinks the two have to decide what to do with their futures - spend it together or go their own ways. Yamashita's gentle and caring observation lifts the somewhat tedious story to unusual heights as there is no overarching plot or tension in the film's depiction of the village's mundane everyday life. The romances, arguments with friends, the disputes within the village and the alienating Tokyo trip pass by rather uneventfully with the film making the most of its cozy atmosphere and loose pacing.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49G2IIgVank - DirectorHideaki AnnoStarsEriko SatôMikako IchikawaJun MurakamiThe adventure of Cutie Honey, a super heroine who can transform into anything using her necklace to switch on and say "Honey Flash!".Cutie Honey
While Hideaki Anno may be best known as a groundbreaking anime director, he has also directed several live-action films, including the live-action adaptation of a quirky and energetic manga series about a cute heroine fighting diabolic villains threatening the peace of the world. Instead of trying to find a compromise between live-action and anime expression, Anno goes wild with a combination of over-the-top acting, cheap-looking CGI and manic pacing that make Cutie Honey a fun ride. Its flashy humor is lighthearted fun and the action sequences are delightfully campy entertainment. But the film's climax is surprisingly serious and not even that much out of place in the hyperactive ride that is Cutie Honey. While the film isn't particularly rewarding, it is a compact package of no-brainer entertainment that won't leave its audience cold.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZBiiCFU0j4 - DirectorNaomi KawaseStarsTôta KomizuHako OhshimaDurian SukegawaWoodwork artist Takumi moves to a small village Asuka.He then meets Kayoko,a woman who went to the same school as Takumi.Kayoko is fascinated with the color hanezu(crimson); lives with boyfriend Tetsuya.Soon,she falls in love with Takumi.Hanezu
Set near an archaeological site that is considered the birthplace of Japan, Hanezu is a meditative film that is like a myth. It parallels the love triangle of a dye-maker, a wood carver and a woman with an ancient story of mountains fighting for love. Just like Kawase's other work, it has a loose narrative that is marked by the presence of nature and powers beyond our understanding. Although the film's meditations on love and the cycle of life may ring slightly hollow, it is a very pleasing experience full of gorgeous imagery of the landscapes of Nara.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78GzHaXxjyI - DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsEtsushi ToyokawaShinobu ÔtakeNaomasa MusakaToward the end of World War II, middle-aged soldier Keita is entrusted with a postcard from a comrade who is sure he will die in battle. After the war ends, Keita visits his comrade's wife Yuko and bears witness to the tragic life she has led. This year's Oscar entry from Japan finds SHINDO in top form and his 49th and reportedly last film as fresh and poignant as ever.Postcard
After losing two husbands in the Second World War and both in-laws as a consequence, Postcard’s heroine meets a bunkmate of her first husband who brings her a postcard her husband had treasured. A personal project for its director, Postcard is a drama revolving around survivor’s guilt and moving forward in life. Its criticism of Japan is surprisingly mild despite being directed by a Japanese New Wave veteran, but it certainly has its share of social criticism undernearth the surface. At times archaic and theatrical and at other times oddly humorous and lighthearted, Postcard is a mixture of two mismatched styles. Nevertheless, the result is a striking portrayal of Japan during the war and after it.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoVYviosMws - DirectorTatsushi ÔmoriStarsHirofumi AraiLeona HirotaMegumi SawaraThe Whispering of the Gods
Too controversial for film festivals and theaters, the producer of The Whispering of the Gods built his own temporary film theater for the film about a murderer’s return to a Christian seminary. After 6 months of screening, the film reached critical acclaim that allowed it to be screened elsewhere despite its depiction of a vicious cycle of sexual abuse and animal cruelty. The film does not test only the faith of the religious characters but the patience and tolerance of its viewers. It is certainly the most polarizing film of this list because the nihilism that it sports is bound to divide the audiences. If one sees value in it then one can hail it as a masterpiece for the technical execution of the film is superb - it is one of the most audiovisually sophisticated entries of the list. Even though I do not appreciate the film’s writing I want to recommend it as a hypnotic experience for open-minded film buffs.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nsq9DRRttY - DirectorShoko KimuraStarsMiwako WagatsumaYôichirô SaitôAimi SatsukawaIn a noisy classroom, biology teacher Madoka proceeds with his lesson in a small voice. He is unable to look the students square in the face nor admonish them for talking or sleeping in class. Only Tsubura looks upon him with a smile.The End of Puberty
Shoko Kimura’s debut feature is an exploration of sexuality, gender confusion and love. It starts with a high school girl raping her teacher and accidentally swapping sex organs with him. The bizarre film seems comical at first with its 8-bit soundtrack and video game sound effects, but it takes a turn for serious self-reflection as the body horror and gut-wrrenching drama kick in. I am not sure if this film deserves to be on a list of “best films”. There are a bunch of films that most likely deserve to be on this spot instead of The End of Puberty. Why did I choose it then? Because it is one of the most fascinating films of the past few years. It is the sort of film that adventurous film buffs love. The sort of people that are checking this list for rare discoveries will enjoy the bizarreness of The End of Puberty.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vcw2EbmTSMk