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
Category: Japan Cuts
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 (2019) 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.”
Fukushima 50 (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“An effective warning against further relying on nuclear energy alone to power the country.”
Kontora (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
“A very atmospheric but rather restrained exploration of the difficulty subjects face in their attempt to break their subjective deadlock and start their search for a desire.”
Short Film Time: Birdland (2019) [Japan Cuts 2020]
“Kogahara skillfully uses the operation of association to evoke that what, at a verbal level, remains avoided.”