Yutaro Seki and Kentaro Hirase deliver an experience that, in our view, has everything to become a cult-phenomenon, so do not sleep on it.
Category: Psychological
At the Lovehotel (2026) review [Nippon Connection 2026]
Santa Ikegami delivers a self-assured debut that does not easily give away its thematical message.
All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001) review-analysis
A modern classic, one of the best, if not the best, cinematic experiences of the ‘00.
Long Night (2025) review [Nippon Connection 2026]
A self-assured debut, wielding the filmic frame to stage the alienation of the contemporary subject, the failure of imaginary fictions, and the disruptive effect of avoiding Otherness,
Love Letter (1995)
Iwai’s film is not one of the greatest Japanese romance narratives, but one of the greatest films of becoming able to love again.
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.
Sana: Let Me Hear (2024) review
Dramatic, thrilling, chilling, shockingly good.
Suzuki=Bakudan (2025) review
A thrilling ride that brutally confronts the spectator with the effects of the over-emphasis of pleasure and consumption within social interactions on the subject
Two Seasons, Two Strangers (2025) review
A moody experience that explores the tension between one’s conscious discourse and one’s unconscious discourse with elegance and arresting beauty.
After the Quake (2025) review
Inoue delivers an engaging cerebral experience that traces out the effect of the great Hanshin Earthquake on subjectivity as well as the state of the father within a capitalistic and consumerist society.
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.
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.
She Taught Me Serendipity (2024) review
Akiko Ohku steers away from delivering a clear-cut romantic fantasy to confront the spectator with the messy consequences of utilizing signifiers in the game of love in a very moving way.
Dollhouse (2025) review
Yaguchi’s horror will please audiences new to the J-horror genre as well as long-time fans of the genre.
Exit 8 (2025) review
Genki Kawamura delivers an engaging and visually arresting psychological horror narrative that takes the concept of liminality to its anthropological origin.