“An exquisite visual experience that is sadly held back by its unfitting manga-like moments.”
Mothra (1961) review [The Godzilla Project]
By elegantly using the kaiju Mothra, Honda warns the Japanese spectator of the destructive societal effects that the blind adoption of unrestricted capitalism and wild consumption can cause.
Short Movie Time: Storage Man (2022) review [Skip City International D-Cinema Festival]
Tetsuro Manno proves that he has mastered the drama-genre and shows off his ability to create a quite thematically dense experience.
Birds Without Names (2017) review
“Shiraishi is not only able to confront the spectator with the perverse side-effects of a patriarchal phallic societal Other – i.e. male opportunism, but also reveals, in an extremely moving finale, that even within such problematic Other love remains a possibility.”
Short Movie Time: Long-Term Coffee Break (2022) [Female Gaze – Japan Society]
Fuelled by great performances and a visually pleasant composition, Fujita confronts the spectator with the subjective weight of a symbolic commitment and the phantasmatic nature of marital harmony.
Short Movie Time: But It Did Happen (2022) [Skip City International D-Cinema Festival]
Ruichi Suita offers a masterclass in using images as signifiers and concatenating them elegantly to sketch out the unaccepted truth that determines a subject’s signifiers and acts.
She is Me, I Am her (2022) review [Japan Society – Female Gaze]
Nakamura elegantly unpacks how the corona situation disturbs the field of desire as well how important the presence of bodies is within the societal field driven by desire.
Onpaku (2022) review
While Fujii does not re-invent the J-horror genre with Onpaku, he does prove the horror-frame can still be exploited to deliver satisfying horror narratives.
Missing (2022) review
Shinzo Katayama delivers one of the most satisfying drama-thrillers this year.
Rin (2019) review
An enjoyable but deeply flawed narrative.
Short Movie Time: Two Of Us (2019) [Female Gaze – Japan Society]
Negishi proves that she is ready to tackle the daunting task of making a feature film.
Wandering (2022) review
With his poetic sensitivity, Sang-il Lee delivers a rich tapestry of genuine emotionality and a powerful affirmation of the fact that the affirmation of the subject lies beyond the field of understanding.
Top 15 Japanese Films of 2022
As this year comes to a close, it is finally time to look back to the Japanese cinematic year. Despite the doom and gloom that easily escapes the mouths of some commentators, this year was a fine year for Japanese cinema. Discover our top 15 Japanese movies of this year.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) review [The Godzilla Project]
A splendid Godzilla narrative that delivers thrilling kaiju action while elegantly exploring the impact of the rise of capitalism and consumerism on Japanese society and the traumatic truth it does not want to accept.
Terrifying Girls’ High School: Delinquent Convulsion Group (1973) review
“A film that does not give the male spectator the chance to satisfy his gaze but shockingly confronts him with violence that is born from the corrupted phallic game and supported by intoxicating phallic fantasies.”
psycho-cinematography 