16 Feb 2000 Director: Shohei Imamura Japan 1997 117 min Shohei Imamura’s first film after a seven year absence. The Eel won the Palm d’Or at Cannes in 1997. It is the story of Tokuro Yamashita who is paroled from prison after serving time for stabbing his unfaithful wife. He attempts to recover his life… Continue reading The Eel
Tag: Japan
Anatomy Of A Fall
8 January 2025 Director: Justine Triet France, Japan 151 min When her husband Samuel is mysteriously found dead in the snow below their secluded chalet, Sandra becomes the main suspect when the police begin to question whether he fell or was pushed. The trial soon becomes not just an investigation but a psychological journey into… Continue reading Anatomy Of A Fall
Monster
25 Sep 2024 Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan 2023 126 min When her young son Minato starts to behave strangely, his mother feels that there is something wrong. Discovering that a teacher is responsible, she storms into the school demanding to know what’s going on. As the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and… Continue reading Monster
Black Box Diaries
19 Mar 2025 Director: Shiori Ito Japan, UK, USA 2024 103 min In 2017, journalist and writer Shiori Ito’s memoir Black Box launched a societal reckoning in Japan. In the book, Ito publicly accused a prominent TV journalist of raping her two years previously. She had reported her assault to the police at the time,… Continue reading Black Box Diaries
Shoplifters
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
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