08 Jan 2020 Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan 2018 121 min Shoplifters is a complex, profoundly moving drama about the forces holding a struggling family together. Osamu, his wife Nobuyu and grandma Hatsue head the Shibatas family. Poverty- stricken and living in a ramshackle Tokyo bungalow, they routinely turn to petty thieving to make ends meet.… Continue reading Shoplifters
Tag: Japan
Our Little Sister
5 Oct 2016 Director: Hirokazu Kore-Eda Japan 2015 128 min Full of quiet joy and simple pleasures, this sublime and elegant production focuses on the lives of four young women, related through their late father, in provincial Japan. As the women attempt to help each other along, the film touches on themes of stolen childhood… Continue reading Our Little Sister
When Marnie Was There
14 Dec 2016 Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi Japan 2014 103 min Anna, a sickly girl, is sent to live with relatives on the coast in order to get some fresh air. Walking near a marsh one day Anna befriends Marnie, who claims to live in an old mansion. At times, the house appears clean, lived in… Continue reading When Marnie Was There
Kaze Tachinu – The Wind Rises
19 Nov 2014 Director: Hayao Miyazaki Japan 2013 126 min Miyazaki’s final animated film is a breathtaking dream of flying crafted with hand-drawn attention to detail. A rich treat for the eye and soul alike, the fictional tale is inspired by the life of second world war Zero fighter plane designer, Jiro Horikoshi and the… Continue reading Kaze Tachinu – The Wind Rises
Rashomon
01 Dec 10 Director: Akira Kurosawa Japan 1950 88 min Kurosawa’s epic samurai movies inspired such films as The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars and A Fistful of Dollars with their meticulously planned shots and expansive cinematography. This brilliantly executed early masterpiece is based on the challenging premise that truth can be subjective. The viewer witnesses… Continue reading Rashomon