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: Japan Cuts
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.”
Cenote/ Ts’onot (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
A beautiful experimental documentary exploring the position of life and death within the Mayan society of the past and the current society.
Tora-san Meets the Songstress Again (1975) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
Yamada still delivers that what makes Tora-san so enjoyable for audiences: his problematic truth; that the little freedom he has in relation to the Other condemns him to an existence of being, over and over again, duped by that very Other
Tora-san, Our lovable Tramp (1969) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“A piece of Japanese cinema history that no cinephile should miss.”
Voices in The Wind (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“a slow but beautiful meditation on the necessity for the subject to utilize the signifier – i.e. to speak with others and to the Other – to start the process of subjectifying the loss/the real that derailed them.”
Short Movie Time: See You on the Other Side (2019) [Japan Cuts 2020]
“A very precise and rather confronting exploration of how, within the sexual act, the male and the female subject never meet each other.”
Short Movie Time: A Wolf’s Calling (2019) [Japan Cuts 2020]
“A powerful subjective statement against the prowling nature of the Japanese police.”
Short Movie Time: Wheel Music (2019) review [Japan Cuts]
“A pleasing visual and auditive experiment.”
Short Movie Time: Fuel (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“Not only a composition honouring the art of grilling and the joy of eating, but also a subtle plea to protect this tradition, a tradition closely intertwined with the flow of nature.”
On-Gaku: Our Sound (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“Iwaisawa offers a compelling exploration of music’s inherent power, a transformative power allowing the subject to pass through anxiety in order to give expression to his desire.”
Beyond The Night (2019) review [Japan Cuts]
“Nakagawa, in short, reaffirms herself as one of the most promising female directors in Japan at the moment.”
My identity (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“A tender and sweet appeal to Japanese society to give every subject the possibility to assume, with respect to others, a subjective place of speech.”
Sacrifice (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“A compelling exploration of the enticing power religious cults and militaristic organization have in a society driven by consumption and enjoyment and – as vague as it may sound – the Otherness of the others.”
Special Actors (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“A smartly constructed, highly unpredictable and fun exploration of the ‘rent-an-actor’ phenomenon.”
