Kumakiri offers a fresh breath in the Japanese sports genre by focusing on trauma, the ill-fitting of the subject within the societal Other, and the importance of forming bonds with the other.
Category: Youth
The Taste of Tea (2004) review
Katsuhito Ishii’s offers the spectator a satisfying kaleidoscopic exploration of the emotional fabric of life and the importance of familial bonds.
Twilight Cinema Blues (2023) review
While fun to watch, Hideo Jojo’s film is a trick of all trades, but a master of none.
Sin And Evil (2024) review [Japannual 2024]
Saito shows that the Other always bears some responsibility for the subjective outcomes of dysfunctional familial dynamics and the criminal excesses that plague its mendacious image of peaceful harmony.
Desert of Namibia (2024) review [Japannual 2024]
Yoko Yamanaka delivers a cinematic masterpiece of subjectivity.
Belonging (2024) review [Japannual 2024]
Higashi delivers a touching exploration of love after death.
Hijacked Youth – Dare To Stop Us 2 (2024) [Japannual 2024]
Inoue delivers a heartfelt ode to the mini-cinema and subjective failure.
Afternoon Angler’s club (2023) Review [Camera Japan Festival]
Hideo Jojo’s heartwarming tale of subjective growth and salt-water fishing is a pleasant watch.
House of Sayuri (2024) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
The thoughtful manipulation of this atmospheric field is integral to create an effective and engaging genre-blend.
Baby Assassins: Good Days (2024) review [Fantasia Film Festival]
Yugo Sakamoto successfully mixes up the formula that structured his previous two action narratives. Highly Recommended.
I Was Born, But … (1932) review
What allows Ozu’s exploration of parental failure to retain its power to charm and engage is the very fact that every child needs to go through such phase.
Secret: A Hidden Score (2024) review [Nippon connection 2024]
Spectators who like piano and pianists might find something to enjoy in this emotionally impotent narrative.
18×2 Beyond Youthful Days (2024) review [Nippon Connection 2024]
Fujii proves that the tropes of the romance genre can still be exploited in a refreshing and emotionally satisfying manner.
Performing Kaoru’s Funeral (2023) review [OAFF 2024]
Yuasa’s narrative shows that the unavoidable presence of death during a funeral can allow a subject to re-route his own trajectory.
Faraway Family (2023) review [OAFF 2024]
A very touching narrative that explores the frail position of the father and how his structural failure can cause subjective struggles and inhibitions.
psychocinema 