Higashi delivers a touching exploration of love after death.
Category: Japannual
Hijacked Youth – Dare To Stop Us 2 (2024) [Japannual 2024]
Inoue delivers a heartfelt ode to the mini-cinema and subjective failure.
Roleless (2022) review [Japannual 2023]
Masahiko Sato, Yutarō Seki and Kentarō Hirase offer the spectator a revealing glance at the dynamic that underpins the dissociative fugue.
Okiku and the World (2023) review [Japannual 2023]
Introduction Junji Sakamoto (Another World (2019), I Never Shot Anyone (2020), My Brother, The Android and Me (2022)) might not be as well-known by international audiences as other directors, but he has proved himself to be an incredible talent in Japan that deserves recognition for his often unique but always well-crafted narratives. Luckily, in recent…
Ice Cream Fever (2023) review [Japannual 2023]
A gorgeous stylish exploration of the subjective struggles and the solutions subjects invent within the field of love and desire.
Goodbye Cruel World (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A stylish exploration of the cruel call for destruction that structures the perverse criminal field.”
In The Distance (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A very pleasant slice-of-life narrative that elegantly shows that bonds between subjects are that much more genuine if they are grounded in the acceptance of the other’s radical difference.”
Two On The Edge (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A touching experience that highlights that the desire to be loved, for better or worse, is the ulitmate guide the neurotic subject within the societal field.”
Daughters (2020) review [Japannual 2020]
With his simple, gentle, and authentic exploration of how a pregnancy rewrites one’s current and future life, Tsuda proves that one does not need a complex narrative or a profound thematic depth to touch the spectator.
Sakura (2020) review [Japannual 2020]
“A great narrative that does not only show that family happiness is but a semblance – behind the smiles hides pain and sadness – but also the very fact that the subject can only grasp his present subjective state by narrativizing (and, in many cases idealize) his past.”
Samurai Shifters (2019) review [Japannual 2019]
“While it does not offer anything new to the jidai-geki genre, it still is a pleasing narrative that touches upon less well-known aspects of Edo-society.”
Blue Hour (2019) review [Japannual 2019]
“With her impressive and touching debut, Yuko Hakota reveals herself as one very promising director. “
A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic (2019) review [Japannual 2019]
‘Katagiri’s perfectly executed tonal shift turns Saki’s subjective journey into a truly touching experience.’
My Sweet Grappa Remedies (2019) [Japannual 2019)
“A peaceful and serene exploration of female subjectivity.”
My Father, The bride (2019) review [Japannual 2019]
“A truly pleasant cinematographical narrative that succeeds, notwithstanding its lightheartedness, in formulating a truly relevant message.”