In Shiraishi’s talented hands the narrative transforms into a visual elegant and compelling examination of the desire that drives us all.
Pulse (2001) review
“An extra-ordinary apocalyptic horror narrative that explores, in a refined way, the destructive impact of consumption – the pulsating attraction of injecting solitary enjoyment by engaging with gadgets and screens – on our subjective position and the fabric of bonds that surrounds us.”
Lake of Dracula (1971) review
A splendid and highly atmospheric homage to the gothic icon called Dracula.
The Island Closest To Heaven (1984) review
“This might be the purest idol-film Obayashi made and the clearest example of how Kadokawa wanted to exploit the audio-visual medium.”
School In The Crosshairs (1981) review
A heart-warming sci-fi flick that dazzles the spectator with its expressive and colourful effects.
The Girl Who Leaped Through Time (1983) review
The film does not merely celebrate the beauty of the transiency of being-in-love, but also powerfully stages the tragedy of the missed encounter.
His Motorbike, Her Island (1986) review
Obayashi ensures that this narrative, after so many years, still succeeds in captivating and mesmerize the spectator.
Skeleton Flowers (2021) review
A serene narrative that touchingly explores the possibility of reaching each other as subject despite the misrecognition that structures speech.
Bad City (2022) review [Camera Japan Festival]
Sonamura delivers everything one expects from an action-thriller.
Riverside Mukolitta (2022) review [Camera Japan Festival]
A highly touching narrative about re-finding social life.
Parallel (2022) review
A fabulous narrative that does not only delivers a thrilling slasher-like experience, but offers a touching romance between two people that are, in their own particular way, deeply marked by their traumatic past.
Nagi’s Island (2022) review [Camera Japan Festival]
The power of Nagasawa’s narrative does not simply lie in the engaging emotional rhythm, as dictated by the musical decorations, but in the genuineness that oozes from every interaction.
Prior Convictions (2022) review [Camera Japan Festival]
“A very relevant exploration of the fact that the criminal act is, in many cases, born from an antagonistic relation between the subject and the Other.”
Alivehoon (2022) review [Camera Japan Festival]
Shimoyama hits all the common beats of the sports-genre, but succeeds in elevating his exploration of the art of drifting by framing the battling cars in an exciting and mesmerizing way.
It’s All My Fault (2022) review [Camera Japan Festival 2022]
A touching narrative that explores how difficult it is for subject to assume a place for himself, a place from where he/she can desire, without the structuring influence of motherly love.
psycho-cinematography 