Makoto Ueda proves that cinema is alive and kicking.
Category: Indie
At the Lovehotel (2026) review [Nippon Connection 2026]
Santa Ikegami delivers a self-assured debut that does not easily give away its thematical message.
The Blood Of Rebirth (2009) review
Toyoda transforms the folkloric tale of Oguri Hangan into a personal warning for the Other: I will not let you ‘kill’ my societal position as director.
Short Movie time: Pick it up and Throw it Away! (2019) review
Ono affirms his talent to blend absurd narrative turns together in a way that is not only consistent, but also deeply satisfying.
Short Movie Time: Cheating Office Lady: Wet Galaxy (2016) review
Ono and his cast’s enthusiastic dedication to the absurdity fills the film with a winsomeness that allows the short to surpass its limitations.
A Samurai In Time (2024) review
A beautiful and genuinely endearing love-letter to the chanbara genre
Confetti (2023) review
A pleasant film that underlines, in an elegant and touching manner, the necessity for the subject to find an Other to commit himself to his dream, to his desire.
I am Baseball (2023) review
Whether you like baseball or not, his absurd love-letter to women who love baseball will shock and charm you.
Rainy Blue (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
Asuna Yanagi does not simply deliver a heartwarming coming-of-age narrative, but also a work that has the potential to inspire young people.
The Gesuidouz (2024) review [Japannual 2025]
While the concatenation of deadpan comical moments succeeds in charming audiences, Ugana’s narrative falls flat in the last half-hour.
Flames of a Flower (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
A compelling exploration of the divergent ways subjects deal with trauma and the Other that fails to respond adequately.
Truth or Lies (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
An incredibly satisfying film that does not merely show that subjects need the lie but also that it is, by virtue of fiction, that our signifiers have effects on the other.
Dawn Chorus (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
A beautiful meditative narrative about the struggles of becoming subject that will resonate with many.
Revolution +1 (2022) Review
Masao Adachi delivers an important political statement that, by offering an evocative sketch of Tetsuya Yamagami’s tragic trajectory, invites the Japanese spectator to question his own passivity towards the political Other.
Yoyogi Johnny (2025) review [OAFF 2025]
Kimura’s choice to give the tragical dimension of love a deadpan comical twist pays off, creating a unique narrative that will resonate with youth and those who have kept in touch with their younger self