Tag Archives: Japanese cinema

a japanese autumn sonata (film: Teki – Daihachi Yoshida, 2024)

‘Teki‘, the 2024 film by Japanese director Daihachi Yoshida, is a film about the old age. I don’t know to what extent contemporary Japanese cinema addresses this topic, but it seems natural to me that it would in a country … Continue reading

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the cloud that kills (film: Cloud / Kuraudo – Kiyoshi Kurosawa, 2024)

Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa‘s filmography already includes several films where the horror and techno-thriller genres meet, reflecting a world where technology overwhelms its heroes and terrifies the audience. ‘Cloud‘ (‘Kuraudo‘ in the original – 2024) can be included in this … Continue reading

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a wonderful late movie by Ozu (film: Ukigusa / Floating Weeds – Yasujirô Ozu, 1959)

Made in 1959, ‘Ukigusa / Floating Weeds‘ is part of Yasujirô Ozu‘s final group of six color films. It is a remake of a silent movie made by Ozu in 1934. The Japanese master was apparently a late adopter of … Continue reading

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coming to age under the sign of magic (film: Moving / Ohikkoshi – Shinji Sômai, 1993)

‘Moving‘ (1993 – original title is ‘Ohikkoshi‘) is one of those films whose viewing is more than a cinematic spectacle – it’s an experience. It’s the first film I’ve seen by the Japanese film director Shinji Sômai, who died prematurely … Continue reading

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enigmatic movie about capitalism and nature (film: Aku wa sonzai shinai / Evil Does Not Exist – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2023)

Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is a film director who does not make life easy for the viewers of his films. After seeing his previous film, ‘Drive My Car’ (2021), which enjoyed international success, including an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film … Continue reading

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the Japanese movie of Wim Wenders (film: Perfect Days – Wim Wenders, 2023)

Some of the most interesting films I’ve seen lately come from directors who have nothing left to prove. Wim Wenders is one of them. He will be 79 this year and has made films like ‘Wings of Desire’ and ‘Paris, … Continue reading

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points of view (film: Monster – Hirokazu Koreeda, 2023)

There are no monsters in ‘Monster‘, Hirokazu Koreeda‘s latest film and the first shot in Japan after a five-year absence and two films made in France and Korea that I personally liked, but many other cinema fans liked less. It … Continue reading

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identity games (film: Aru otoko /A Man – Kei Ishikawa, 2022)

‘A Man‘ (original title is ‘Aru otoko‘), the 2022 film directed by Kei Ishikawa, is a Japanese film with an European flavor. It is a detective mystery with many twists and turns, which demands the permanent attention of the viewers … Continue reading

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shattering movie about life, age and death (film: Plan 75 – Chie Hayakawa, 2022)

‘Plan 75‘, the feature debut of Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, which premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, is an imperfect and shattering movie, one of those films whose idea and theme will follow viewers long after they have finished … Continue reading

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Apocalypse, then! (film: Kuroi ame / Black Rain – Shôhei Imamura, 1989)

I happen to have seen and written about a number of end-of-the-world and post-apocalyptic movies lately. Most of them were dystopias and/or special effects films that depicted the possible ends of the world as we know it and what would … Continue reading

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