Introduction Kota Takeuchi is man of many creative talents, but whatever he does – be it painting, filming, or sculpting – it is related to historical or contemporary topics. He is most renowned as being the representative of the man of the iconic webcam performance Finger Pointing Worker (2011). In his latest short, he explores…
Category: Festivals
Hit Me Anyone One More Time (2019) review [Nippon connection Online]
“A pleasant lighthearted narrative that expresses a (vain?) hope for a more thoughtful form of Japanese politics.”
Beyond the two infinite minutes (2021) review [Nippon connection 2021]
“A highly entertaining and cleverly constructed sci-fi film that not only underlines the power of romantic desire, but also reveals how tricky knowing the future can be.”
Sasaki In My Mind (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
“Uchiyama delivers a great and finely composed narrative that explores the ephemeral character of relationships that find their sole strength in the imaginary, in the thirst for gaining pleasure.”
Stormy Family (2019) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
“A great narrative that succeeds in exploring the very way that imaginary injuries and resentments erode family bonds, by causing a subjective blindness for the suffering of the other.”
The Town of Headcounts (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
“His dystopian ‘thriller’ does not only masterly highlight, in a chilling way, the various ills that marks contemporary society, but also shows, that within such dystopian world, a subject can always rediscover something to life and fight for.”
Wonderful Paradise (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
A great experiment of the absurd, but its full potential to satisfy the spectator is hindered by its somewhat lackluster composition.
The Promised Land (2019) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
A beautifully composed and highly relevant narrative about destructive kinds of social violence, a social violence against the Otherness present in the community and an ostracizing violence to turn the once-trusted other into an unwanted Otherness.
My Blood and Bones in a Flowing Galaxy (2021) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
“A great narrative, due to its emotionally gripping finale and the crystal-clear manner by which Sabu explores and uncovers the impact of a vicious environment on the way the subject inscribes itself into the social fabric.”
Bolt (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
“A great narrative by Kaizo Hayashi that explores, via the structure fiction, the truth of three different affects – responsibility, guilt, and sadness through loss – during and in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.”
Under The Open Sky (2020) review [Nippon Connection 2021]
“A (damning) look at the vicious and unforgiven nature of the judgmental Other as well as heartwarming emotionally rich exploration of the importance of supportive inter-subjective social bonds for the subject.”
Nippon Connection 2021: our recommendations
“While we of course encourage the audience to explore the many films this rich festival has to offer, we do want to introduce our recommendations, films that we think are worth seeing and offer certain experience, whether pleasing or confronting.”
Tora-san, Wish you were here (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“Yamada’s latest offers not only a powerful homage to the late great Kiyoshi Atsumi but also a moving nostalgic ride along many of the iconic scenes of the series.”
Sweet Bitter Candy (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“An amazing exploration of the clash between a sweet youthful romantic desire and the bitter urge of a wounded subject to defend his subjective wounds.”
Goto-san (2021) review [OAFF 2021]
“Gokan expertly reveals the position of the freeter as an attempt to escape the capitalistic machinery but also as a position that most easily falls prey to the ugliest structures of exploitation to keep the profit-focused system going.”
