Tag Archives: Japanese cinema

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

Posted on February 4, 2024 by admin

‘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 →

Posted in movies | Tagged coming to age movies, family drama, Gheorghe Zamfir, Japanese cinema, Moving, Ohikkoshi, Shinji Sômai | Leave a comment

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

Posted on February 2, 2024 by admin

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 →

Posted in movies | Tagged Aki wa sonzai shinai, Eiko Ishibashi, Evil Does Not Exist, Japanese cinema, original script, political drama, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, social drama | Leave a comment

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

Posted on January 26, 2024 by admin

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 →

Posted in movies | Tagged author cinema, Japanese cinema, Koji Yakusho, original script, Perfect Days, Takuma Takasaki, Wim Wenders | Leave a comment

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

Posted on February 25, 2023 by admin

‘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 →

Posted in movies | Tagged Aru otoko, film based on a novel, Japanese cinema, Japanese movies, Kei Ishikawa, Keiichiro Hirano | Leave a comment

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

Posted on December 12, 2022 by admin

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 →

Posted in movies | Tagged Black Rain, Japanese cinema, Kazuo Kitamura, Kuroi ame, Shôhei Imamura, Yoshiko Tanaka | Leave a comment

love, pain and Chekhov (film: Drive My Car – Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, 2021)

Posted on March 24, 2022 by admin

‘Drive my Car’ by Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi is a complex and elegiac film about love and mourning, about art as a means of relieving personal trauma, about responsibility and about the persistence of pain. Well-written and fine acted, it … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged Drive My Car, family drama, Haruki Murakami, Japanese cinema, movies about love, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi | Leave a comment

two mothers on an island (film: After the Sunset – Michio Koshikawa, 2019)

Posted on February 25, 2021 by admin

‘After the Sunset‘ (in Japanese ‘Yuhi No Ato‘) directed in 2019 by Michio Koshikawa offers a sincere and direct cinematic experience, which managed to capture my attention and make me feel the emotions and sympathise with the problems of the … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged After the Sunset, family drama, Japanese cinema, Japanese movies, Maho Yamada, Michio Koshikawa, Shihori Kanjiya, Towa Matsubara, Yuhi No Ato | Leave a comment

in the footsteps of Ozu (film: Still Walking – Hirokazu Koreeda, 2008)

Posted on November 9, 2020 by admin

Coincidentally, I viewed ‘Still Walking‘, Hirokazu Koreeda‘s 2008 film the day after viewing ‘Tokyo Story‘, Yasujirô Ozu‘s masterpiece. The two films are made 55 years apart, but they are very close in terms of dealing with the relationships between generations, … Continue reading →

Posted in movies | Tagged Hirokazu Koreeda, Hiroshi Abe, Japanese cinema, Japanese movies, Still Walking, Yoshio Harada | Leave a comment