Closed Ward/Family of Strangers (2019) review

While ‘Family of Strangers’ runs the risk of corroborating prejudices, Hirayama’s narrative also has the potential to make spectators think about the socially embedded nature of mental suffering,

Akitsu Springs (1962) review

With his artful composing hand, Yoshishige Yoshida paints how a romance unable to transform into an inter-subjective relation of love can impact the subjectivity and illustrate, in a subtle but sensible way, the Freudian truth that every Eros is, in the end, a death drive.

Cruel story of Youth (1960) review

Oshima succeeds in dissecting in a very precise way how the Other, an Other marked by patriarchy and capitalism, is able to empty the youthful subject of his ideals and dreams as well as how the rebellious protest of certain youthful subjects is, in many cases, an affirmation of the very dynamic that underpins the functioning of the Other.

Mask Ward (2020) review

“Mask Ward provides the thrills and the tension and packs enough surprises to engage and, ultimately, satisfy the spectator.”

Gemini (1999) review

A fabulous and unique romance horror narrative that uncovers the often-forgotten truth that all speaking beings are driven by a desire to be loved/desire to love.

Howling village (2020) review

Shimizu proves with his latest horror-narrative that one does not need to reinvent the genre to be able to deliver a film that satisfies those spectators seeking for thrills and scares.

Life: untitled (2020) review

A confronting narrative that underlines the necessity for male subjects to lay down their eroticizing gaze and meet a woman as a subject, as someone who is driven by unconscious desires and own demands as well as marked by her own failure of understanding herself.

Gushing Prayer: A 15-Year-Old Prostitute (1971) review

“Not only does Adachi frame the societal Other as the cause of the lost state of youth and the youth’s suicidal response, but Adachi also formulates, in a truly confronting way, his hope for this lost youth to find desire in creating a different Other for tomorrow.”

Ainu Mosir (2020) review

Fukagawa offers an enlightening insight into the problematic position Ainu culture holds within the broader Japanese Other and the subjective problems being born in these two Others can cause.

Not Quite Dead Yet (2020) Review

While Not Quite Dead Yet is about the importance of communication and about assuming a desire as subject, Hamasaki’s narrative delivers its message in manner that is, when all is said and done, not alive enough.