Daisuke Miyazaki was born in 1980 in Yokohama, Kanagawa. A passion for analysing films turned into a career when he started making them while studying at Waseda University. In 2004, he participated in New York University’s summer school that took place in Japan. His thesis The 10th Room won the Christine Choi Award, which is the grand prix at the KUT Film Festival held by the NYU. His following film Love Will Tear Us Apart was invited to be a special screening at the Image Forum Film Festival 2006, which is the largest experimental film festival in Japan.

The next stage in his career was to work his way up through the film world from lighting assistant to acting as an assistant director for Kiyoshi Kurosawa on Tokyo Sonata(2008). Miyazaki’s first feature film, End of the Night (2011), was exhibited at the Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema International Film Festival, and received a special award at the Toronto Shinsedai Film Festival. His work on the omnibus film 5TO9 was screened at the Osaka Asian Film Festival 2016 (OAFF) and his second feature Yamato (California) was screened at OAFF 2017.

He returned to OAFF in 2018 with his latest feature film, Tourism, an amusingly hip youth movie following two Japanese girls named Nina (Nina Endo) and Su (SUMIRE) who get lost in Singapore, which was shot in the space of five days. This is the first of a planned five film run which could take Miyazaki around the world.

Miyazaki kindly took part in an interview at the ABC Hall in Osaka midway through the festival where he went into detail about the shoot and his background.

Jason Maher: Thank you for making the film. It’s a really interesting experience. I felt like it captured the dislocation of travelling around a new place. I really liked your directing style.

Daisuke Miyazaki: Thank you very much.

How did you get your start in filmmaking?

When I was in college I was writing film reviews as a critic because I was in a film critic club. After watching a certain amount of films I thought, maybe I should start making them so I started filming by myself but after doing that for a few years I thought I don’t have the fundamental skills of a filmmaker like lighting, storytelling, directing so I went to a school called Film School of Tokyo (Eiga Bigakko) for a while and during that time I was invited to take part in film shoots as part of the crew.

Did that involve working as an assistant director with Kiyoshi Kurosawa?

That’s a bit later. I started as assistant lighting technician in a snowy mountain location. It was a horrible experience but that was my entrance. In Japan, you have to go step by step to assistant director or screenwriter and then you become a director. It’s an old style…

Slowly learning your craft.

But at the same time I was making my own short independent movies, trying and learning, trying and learning.

So is there a specific vision you have for all of your films that you want to keep with each project?

I want to make something new every time. I think 5TO9 was like a film noir and Yamato (California) was like a kind of music drama and this time it’s a little bit like comedy travel movie so every time I try to do something new and try to improve in some way.

That’s cool. You can see that each project has a different subject. I believe this project was in collaboration with the Singapore International Film Festival?

Ah yes, the Singapore International Film Festival and Art Science Museum first offered me a screening during their festival. Budget-wise, shooting-wise, it was supposed to be shot in Japan and it was supposed to be a short film but the budget for Japanese indie movies is usually very low and I wanted to try and shoot in a foreign country so I decided to shoot in Singapore. We only had five days but I think it turned out to be a good length feature film, not too short, a really comfortable size.

It’s just the right length and it’s a mellow space to enter. You said you only had five days to shoot, so was there a lot of pre-planning involved?

Yes, the fundamental reason is because there were only five days and that’s quite short for a feature-length film but I have experience working on very cheap v-cinema productions and I’ve been working as an assistant director for that so I know how to schedule in my brain, like, “I only have two minutes here and two minutes there”, so I used that skill and also in Singapore there are lots of security cameras and there aren’t so many places where you can film freely without permission so I had to walk around all of the places and check where the cameras are and think about how I should film. For the airport scene, I was already in Singapore preparing so, I myself wasn’t out there for that so I had to tell my DP on the phone what to do but before that I had already videod the airport and I had already decided all of the cuts and shots and the frame size and then I sent it to my DP and was like, “Oh I want my actresses coming in from the left side to do this so follow her”. I told my DP what to do with each cut and he tried to copy that.

That’s really amazing because there is, on the one hand, a real sense of spontaneity, like you have just showed up and the actors have wandered into the frame like real tourists and you’re shooting on the fly but it sounds like you did a lot of planning. Did you have storyboarding and other elements?

For the airport scene I had storyboarding and I did plan quite a lot. It does look natural Compared to the shooting period, the planning went on for a long time. I took a lot of time preparing because I knew that I couldn’t do so many things so there was no time to be confused.

The way you play around with the aspect ratios really fit the characters. What sort if aesthetic did you want for the film?

I told my DP that the bright colours of Singapore was one thing that was interesting for me, like the purples, greens, yellows, oranges in the little Indian area, like those shiny colours are really interesting for me so I told my DP that I want the tone of the AGFA film stock used by Yasujiro Ozu in which vivid colours come up and then, for the frame, I intended to change it a lot like a smartphone screen being this size or an Instagram kind of size and with each cut I tried to change something and keep the audience interested in it because the story is about girls getting lost and walking around so I thought about how I could keep the mind of the audience stuck to the screen. That was a big thing for me.

I think it really worked.

Thank you.

I loved the switches in shooting styles like the on-screen text when they were streaming, that was really entertaining. [Laughter] You talk about location specific problems with regards to security cameras, were there any other surprises that came up?

Everywhere I went, let’s say, shooting in the temple or going inside that Muslim family’s home, I had intentions as a director that I wanted to do something but I was told that, traditionally, this is right, so your way is not right or correct so I myself was learning so much about the culture out there, the society and Singapore, and it was like a big tour for me. It was surprising. I did prepare a lot but on the set I studied the diversity of Singapore.

You go to different areas like the Hindu and Muslim areas as well as Chinatown and you meet a variety of Singaporeans, were they professional or non-professional actors?

Three of the main characters are professional, the rest are amateurs like my friend or my friend’s friend.

Like the Chinese lady who helps Nina, is she a professional?

She’s my good friend and I really like her voice and the way she laughs. The real her keeps on talking all of the time so I asked her, “can you act?” and she said, “oh I have never acted so I can’t”, and I said, “it’s okay, I’m going to direct so you can relax”.

She’s really good at communicating with Nina and the camera [laughter] and I really loved the conversation they have where she talks about anime because I have done things like that so it felt real. Did you have any specific way of directing people?

I basically tried to expand the good part of a person whether it’s their voice or how they talk or the angle they smile at. First I try to seek what’s the good part, the fascinating part of each person and then I try to extend it in a cinematic and theatrical way so the way you talk is interesting but if you talk a little bit faster it will become more fascinating. I do have in my mind what character I want to direct but I figured out recently that the best way is to find the best part of the actor and the original person and expand it.

The film captures some of the best moments of being a traveller such as when a stranger welcomes you into their home or shows you an aspect of the city you wouldn’t see as a tourist like the scene on the rooftop with the band. Was that spontaneous or pre-planned?

That’s from my real experience. I was drinking in Singapore and then my friend invited me to this one-room apartment and there was a really cool band playing inside. They told me that there are many underground bands who play in a room or a house and this youth culture is getting really hot in Singapore. I knew that band and for the final scene I wanted to show the landscape of the skyscrapers of Singapore at the same time, like a cool thing and the very touristic artificial thing at the same time was the theme of the movie so I was location scouting the area and actually that scene was supposed to be shot inside, one floor under the rooftop, and they said you can check out the rooftop so I climbed this big ladder to the rooftop and I asked, “can I use this place?” and they said, “yes, if you can bring up the equipment”, because we had to climb the ladder but everyone, every extra and people who went there cooperated and took heavy amps and guitars and filming equipment up the ladder and then we shot it.

It sounds like a really great atmosphere on set with everyone working together.

In Singapore there are so many people who love movies and they are really enthusiastic about it and many people want to help each other. If someone is having trouble, many people will come and help each other and so the shoot was like that. Even though I am Japanese, they treated me like a local person and supported me a lot and without that I don’t think it would have been possible to shoot it in five days.

So your own experiences on the shoot informed the movie a lot.

I started to like Singapore much much more after the shoot.

I’ve never been to Singapore, is the Merlion really disappointing?

It’s okay. I didn’t want to say, “this is boring” or something like that. I want to be quite positive about everything in my films so it’s okay. That area is very cool. It’s very plastic but as a sight-seeing place I think it’s good and also, in that scene, somehow everyone (the public) was wearing orange and so when the camera pans there’s so much orange in the frame so that was a really interesting coincidence.

Visually distinct. It’s the second time that you’ve worked with Nina Endo. Why did you bring her back from Yamato (California)?

Somehow I become really good friends with my actors after shooting. It’s probably because my directing style is not like, “I want to do this so can you act like that?”

Authoritarian?

Yes, it starts from “Hi, how are you?” and, “What food do you like?” “I think this part of you is really good.” This sort of personal communication goes on forever on the set so we become good friends. I thought about Hanae, too, but this time I wanted to do something for the younger generation. I want high school girls and young college girls to watch Tourism and say, “Oh, this is so cool!”. Nina is one of those fashion icons for the young generation so she was perfect for the role. She speaks English but not perfect so I thought that would be really effective to use, and her age was perfect for the role. I shot Yamato in 2015 and two years had passed and her acting got really good so all of those factors made me choose Nina first and then the rest of the cast was decided.

SUMIRE, she’s Tadanobu Asano’s daughter and she’s a fashion icon as well. Was this her first acting role?

I think she was in River’s Edge and maybe a few films before but this was her first time acting in a foreign country but still, she was not super used to acting so it was quite interesting. First, I felt she wasn’t so sure what she could do, so I made her confident during the process, like “You are great just being there but can you do a bit of this?” Every time I film an actor or actress, I try to show their best acting or best face in their career and I think Sumire was really good. I mean, she already has a few films, but this was her best acting role so far.

Yeah, she has a good comedic approach, like deadpan serious as seen when she recounts encountering the ghost. [Laughter] What was the meaning behind the ghost?

One big idea of this project was to step across all of the borders in this world like, sexuality, country, nation, dead, living, past, future, earth, space, whatever. I was trying to cross all of the borders with this movie. Anything can happen in this world and everything is to be supported and it’s a positive thing, is what I wanted to show in this movie.

What does the film mean to you?

Until my last film, Yamato (California), I tried to show how hard the world is and how it is a dirty place but also there’s beauty inside which is what I tried to show in a bit of a hardcore style. This time I wanted to be more positive and I wanted to show the younger generation the possibilities of the world. You can touch your smart phone all day long but if you get a $200 ticket and fly to somewhere, there’s something you can’t imagine and something 3D instead of 2D and it might change your life drastically. I wanted to show how much possibility and beauty there is in the world if you have the courage to step out.

You did it perfectly with the film because Nina encounters so much kindness. She could have just been wandering around touristic areas but she gets to know new urban spaces and real people. What is the meaning behind the Elvis t-shirt that she wears?

That’s quite a coincidence but I do like Elvis and you know, they talk about Elvis as a ghost in Jim Jarmusch’s movie Mystery Train. I really like that movie and I was writing a novel about it a few months before the shoot and I imagined Elvis like a ghost and he’s still wandering around the world in his Cadillac and then Nina had that Elvis t-shirt and Tourism is a story about ghosts and the living, so it was a coincidence and a perfect fit.

You want it to appeal to young people which is why you chose to have specific actors and gave the characters direct-to-camera interviews where they tell the audience that they work in Tsutaya and Book-Off, typical part-time jobs staffed by young people, why did you use that technique?

It’s part of the theme I was talking about. I wanted to cross the border between the documentary and fictional film world. I wanted to show that in this movie anything can happen. It’s all from my experience interviewing younger people in Yamato for Yamato (California). The actors look like they are talking naturally and it feels improvised but the dialogue was written. I think it would be nice to shoot it as a real documentary.

It’s really good at getting the sense of reality conveyed, as if these are people plucked out of Yamato itself but then there’s the narration which felt like it came from extra-terrestrials. At the end it promises to continue five years in the future in New York. Do you have intentions of carrying on Nina’s story?

Yes, I’m thinking of five stories about tourists and then the fifth story in New York is my plan. When I was filming, at first it was like a joke, I mean, I wanted to show the stories expanding out of this movie and spread to the world but after finishing I thought it worked out quite nice and I really wanted to do this again. I want to travel and film at the same time so, yes, I think I will go to other Asian countries or Eastern Europe and try to go on with the series.

Will Takayuki Yanagi go on the next journey?

The next journey I am planning is in China. Takayuki gets sick of Japan and Yamato and moves to the mountains in China and then he sends them (Nina and Su) a letter, like, “why don’t you come to China?” and then the movie starts from the scene when they receive the letter, and there’s one more person who is living inside of the house instead of Takayuki so three girls head to China but they can’t use their smartphones and they get lost. [Laughter]

That sounds amazing already, a fantastic follow-on. When do you start shooting?

I think I already have the story so I’m looking for investors, maybe Chinese investors but Japanese investors, too. Some people were quite amazed by the story and the platform is very simple since it’s about two girls who go to a country for a few days. I hope it’s not super difficult to find a sponsor compared to an original story project. I hope I can do it, this year or next year, because I have to reach New York in five years, right? [Laughter]

So it will be another journey for the next Osaka Asian Film Festival.

I hope so. That will be interesting.

I hope Tourism gets to travel around the world because it’s very contemporary. The music at the end is very melancholy, could you explain a little about that?

Sure, the last movie I used hip hop and noise rock but this time I was trying to do something more avante garde. I was talking with a Singaporean underground band, which I came to know over the last few years. Maybe making the music was the longest process during the film making. They made the music very quickly and then they sent it to me and I said, “Can you change this? Can you change this?” and they fixed it and we did this for several months and so that was very original and that was like making another film at the same time because they tried to make an album which is like a soundtrack and out of that I chose the music but it’s my first experience where the soundtrack came before the shoot. I could think of the rhythm of the movie in my mind and direct. For that dance scene I woke up in the morning and thought about dancing but it was not in the script so I suddenly told the actresses, “guys, could you dance now?” and they said, “no, it’s too early in the morning,” and I said, “Please think about the dance in the car and we’ll do it in the afternoon.”, and then they asked, “Why do we need a dance scene?” and I said, “Because it’s cool. We’re going to do it. Believe me.” The crew also asked me during the shooting, “Is this okay? Is this funny? Is this working?” but I was quite confident that it was funny and adorable when they started dancing. I was playing this very basic beat on the set and afterwards I asked the track maker of Yamato (California) to make a new one and then changed the original music into a new one.

It’s a fantastic scene that always brings a smile to my face and other reviewers have highlighted that scene.

Thanks. [Laughter] I’m still not sure, can Western people enjoy this film, the scenery of Singapore? I’m also afraid if they can’t tell the difference between Japan and Singapore. It sure was intended to show how similar Japan and Singapore are in the centre of the city but there might be people who can’t even tell the difference between Singapore and Japan. For example, the airport scenes are very similar, so they might think it is the same country. The story starts with very basic ideas about modernisation and stuff but there are some differences in each country and very interesting diversities, which was what I wanted to show in this film. I hope that Western people can understand the differences.

I think you get a sense of that with the film. Nina goes off the beaten track and she leaves the touristic areas and the diversity of Singapore is brought to life.

Tourism was shown at the Osaka Asian Film Festival on March 10 and 15.

This interview was published on April 28th at VCinema.

Happy weekend, everyone!

I hope everyone is feeling great!

I’ve had a good week watching some fantastic films and enjoying the good weather the UK is experiencing. I also got a lot festival press work done months in advance of an event with a press release, synopses, and contacts ready to go out.

The New York Asian Film Festival kicked off yesterday and two of my reviews have gone live on V-Cinema: The Hungry Lion and Dynamite Graffiti and there are a couple more waiting to be published. Over here on this blog I published a review for TOURISM and an interview with the director of TOURISM, Daisuke Miyazaki.

What is released this weekend in Japan?

The Name    

名前 「Namae」

Running Time: 114 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director: Akihiro Toda

Writer: Yusuke Moriguchi (Screenplay), Shusuke Michio (Original Story)

Starring: Kanji Tsuda, Ren Komai, Miho Kanazawa, Mako Komaki, Akari Kakimoto, Noriko Kijima, Yohta Kawase, Mayuko Nishiyama, Mariko Tsutsui,

IMDB      Website

I saw this one at the Osaka Asian Film Festival and thought it was a solid drama. Since then, the film has travelled around the world and others are enjoying it. I hope plenty of people get to see this film.

Synopsis: Moriya city in Ibaraki is a quiet place with residents who lead simple lives. Everyone, apart from a lonely angst-ridden bachelor named Masao Nakamura. Since losing his business and becoming penniless, he has adopted multiple identities to get by: Yoshikawa, a big businessman, Suzuki, the happy family man, Okubo, the doting husband who quit Tokyo to look after a sick wife. When his ruse about the sick wife is about to be exposed as a lie at work, a schoolgirl named Emiko Hayama steps in from out of nowhere and pretends to be his daughter.

Emiko is another person who loves to lie. Instead of facing a lonely home run by a single-mother, the girl hangs out with Masao and the pair strike up a friendship. It fills a gap in their lives but their lies hinder them from overcoming inner-turmoil. At some point a fake dad and a fake daughter will have to face their suffering in order to move on.

Punk Samurai Slash Down   

パンク侍、斬られて候 「Panku Samurai Kirarete Soro」

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Gakuryu Ishii

Writer:  Kankuro Kudo (Screenplay), Ko Machida (Original Novel)

Starring: Gou Ayan, Keiko Kitagawa, Shota Sometani, Masahiro Higashide, Tadanobu Asano, Masatoshi Nagase, Jun Murakami, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Jun Kunimura, Etsushi Toyokawa,

Website    IMDB

Punk-rocker Ko Machida’s novel is given the big screen treatment by Gakuyu Ishii of ELECTRIC DRAGON 80000V, Angel Dust and Bitter Honey fame and the cast is full of super-talented actors!

Synopsis: Junoshin Kake (Gou Ayano) is a ronin eager to get nto the service of the Kurokaze plan s he concocts a lie about a doomsday cult called the Bellyshakers agitating for violence. He finds himself caught up in his own lies, the schemes of two clan retainers, the cult, and a whole host of other plans and plots from a bunch of weirdos such as a telekinetic imbecile and a talking monkey warlord.

Modern Love    

モダン・ラブ 「Modan Rabu」

Running Time: 115 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Takuya Fukushima

Writer:  Takuya Fukushima (Screenplay),

Starring: Azusa Inamura, Leo Imamura, Yota Kawase, Mutsumi Sato, Seicho Yoshino, Kiichi Sonbe, Hirohiko Machiyama

Website IMDB

Synopsis: Mika (Azusa Inamura) is doing her Master’s degree in theoretical physics while working part-time at a travel agency. Her head is stuck in the past because she is unable to get over her boyfriend who disappeared five years ago. When  NASA announces the discovery of a new planet in the solar system, Emanon, where life might exist, Mika’s world changes. After experiencing déjà vu and meeting a version of herself she comes to think that Emanon might have caused a parallel world to intertwine with hers.

The Trial    

審判 「Shinpan」

Running Time: 118 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  John Williams

Writer:  Jun Urayama, John Williams (Screenplay), Franz Kafka (Original Novel)

Starring: Tsutomu Niwa, Megumi Sekine, Ichiro Murata, Leon Ota, Tomoko Hayakawa, Rino Tsuneishi, Aki, Sonoko Kameoka,

Website    IMDB

As soon as I saw the name John Williams, I pictured the American composer famous for the Indiana Jones movie scores but thought about the wonderful film Starfish Hotel (2007), which the British director made some time ago. It’s good to see he’s still working!

Synopsis: Kimura (Tsutomu Niwa) is a banker who wakes up on his 30^th birthday to be greeted by two strange men in his room. They arrest Kimura but don’t specify what the crime is. Kimura protests his innocence but gets cast into a labyrinthine criminal proceeding where he is swallowed up by the system…

The Negotiator: Behind the Reversion of Okinawa    

返還交渉人　いつか、沖縄を取り戻す 「Henkan Koshonin Itsuka, Okinawa wo Torimodosu」

Running Time: 100 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Tsuyoshi Yanagawa

Writer:  Takuya Nishioka (Screenplay), Tetsuji Myagawa (Original Novel)

Starring: Arata Iura, Naho Toda, Toshinori Omi, Ayumu Nakajima, Shiro Sano, Ren Osugi, Renji Ishibashi, Taeko Yoshida,

Website    

Synopsis: This is based on the real life figure of Kazuo Chiba who headed down to Okinawa to prevent the island from becoming a staging point in the Vietnam War and also hosting nuclear weapons.

Uchuu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad    

宇宙戦隊キュウレンジャーVSスペース・スクワッド 「Uchuu Sentai Kyuu Renja- vs Supe-su Sukuwaddo」

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Koichi Sakamoto

Writer:  Nobuhiro Mouri (Screenplay),

Starring: Masayuki Deai, Yuka Hirata, Satomi Hirose, Hiroaki Iwanaga, Hiroshi Kamiya, Takumi Kizu, Mao Ichimichi,

Website    IMDB Tokusatsu Wikia

Synopsis: Taking place 4 years after the climactic events of the TV series, the peace of the universe is shattered when Hammie/Chameleon Green attacks the Rebellion and steals the newly developed Neo Kyutama. The Space Federation declare Hammie an outlaw across the universe but Lucky/Shishi Red and some of the Kyurangers decide to fight for Hammie to find out what is really happening with the fellow, causing a rift amongst the Kyurangers.

MANDALAY STAR My Journey to Myanmar Folk Music   

MANDALAY STAR ミャンマー民族音楽への旅 「Mandalay Star Myanma- Minzoku Ongaku e no Tabi」

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Jun Kawabata

Writer:  N/A

Starring: N/A

Website

Synopsis: Jun Kawabata is a composer, photographer, producer and film director and he’s interested in the folk music of Myanmar. This is his second documentary where he seeks out the true sound by looking at traditional instruments and unique singers who take part in a concert. His focus is the city of Mandalay.

Let’s go! Anpanman: Shine! Kurun and the Star of Life   

それいけ！アンパンマン　かがやけ！クルンといのちの星 「Soreike! Anpanman Kagayake! Kurun to Inochi no Hoshi」

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Running Time: 61 mins.

Director: Hiroyuki Yano

Writer: Tomoko Koharu (Screenplay), Takashi Yasase

Starring: Keiko Toda (Anpanman), Anne Watanabe (Kurun), Ryuusei Nakao (Baikinman), Michiyo Yanagisawa (Currypanman), Mika Kanai (Melonpanna), Kaneta Kimotsuki (Horrorman),

Animation Production: TMS Entertainment

Website   ANN MAL

Synopsis: It’s almost time for the annual Star Festival and everybody is happy but when black stars start falling from the skies everybody starts freaking out. Could something be wrong with the Star of Life and could it be connected to a mysterious boy named Kurun who has joined the community?

Girls’ Encounter   

少女邂逅 「Shojo Kaiko」

Running Time: 101 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director: Yuka Eda

Writer:  Yuka Eda (Screenplay),

Starring: Moeka Hoshi, Serena Motola, Mitsuki Akiba, Takumi Matsuzawa, Emina Kondo, Yuya Matsuura, Ryoka Neya, Takuya Sugiyama, Hikaru Saiki,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Miyuri Obara (Moeka Hoshi) is a shy girl and a victim of bullying at her school. Her only friend is a silkworm, but the bullies discover it and throw it into a forest which leaves Miyuri terribly upset. What happens next is something magical: Tsumugi (Serena Motola), a teen girl, steps out of the trees and becomes Miyuri’s best friend. Their bond is deep but is it a normal human one or something more magical?

Bridge to Tomorrow Memories of 1989    

明日にかける橋 1989年の想い出 「Ashita ni kakeru hashi 1989-nen no omoide」

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Takafumi Ota

Writer:  Takafumi Ota (Screenplay), Franz Kafka (Original Novel)

Starring: Anne Suzuki, Misato Tanaka, Itsuji Itao, Akira Takarada, Tomoko Fujita, Haruka Echigo,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Miyuki (Anne Suzuki) is an office lady who works in a provincial town. In 1989, a terrible car accident killed her younger brother Kenta and broke her family, her mother (Misato Tanaka) becoming ill and her father (Itsuji Itao) an alcoholic and a bankrupt when the bubble economy burst. One day, when she crosses Ashitabashi bridge, she remembers the rumour that it can make wishes come true and so she makes a wish to go back to 1989 to prevent the accident and save her family who she meets but she faces various challenges.

The Second Security Unit    

第二警備隊 「Dai ni keibitai」

Running Time: 112 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director: Yuji Kakizaki

Writer:  Yuji Kakizaki (Screenplay),

Starring: Toshio Kakei, Masayuki Deai, Akaji Maro, Makoto Ashikawa, Ryunosuke Kawai, Jun Hashimoto, Miyoko Akaza, Yuka Takeshima,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: A private security firm are called in the protect a priest and politician. 

Passage of Life    

僕の帰る場所 「Boku no kaerubasho」

Running Time: 100 mins.

Release Date: November 25th, 2017

Director:  Akio Fujimoto

Writer: Akio Fujimoto (Screenplay)

Starring: Kaung Myat Thu, Khin Myat Thu, Issace, Htet Myat Naing, Yuki Kitagawa, Kanji Tsuda,

IMDB Website

Immigration is a thorny issue the world over and Japan is not immune to it since its tough stance and refusal to take large numbers of refugees draws criticism from nations which have more open policies. Whether this criticism is fair or not is put to the side in Passage of Life, as drama trumps politics.

One of two films at the Osaka Asian Film Festival looking at the immigrant experience of people who are of Burmese extraction and living in Japan, the other being My Country, My Home, it is shot with remarkable confidence considering it is the debut feature-film from Osaka-born director Akio Fujimoto who uses a documentary film style to show the uncertainties of life as an immigrant feeling the pull of two different cultures.

Passage of Life shows the lives of a Burmese family in two parts. The first half of the film quickly establishes the circumstances of a family that immigrated to Japan with no visa. The family consists of Khin (Khin Myat Thu), her husband Issace and their two boys, 7-year-old Kaung (Kaung Myat Thu) and his younger brother Htet (Htet Myat Naing). The boys were born in Myanmar but raised in Japan and they are happy. In scenes straight from normality, they play with Japanese friends in shotengai and their neighbourhood, clearly unconcerned about their heritage. Their parents are more worried because without the proper paperwork a secure life is impossible and we understand their plight. There can be no legitimate employment for Issace and Khin who make do with illegal jobs at a restaurant and laundrette respectively and government workers make life difficult with house-calls and formal checks. All hope lies with obtaining political refugee status which they have been refused in the past.

This uncertainty is captured by a documentary like style on handheld digital cameras with long sequences of normality and tension uninterrupted by intrusive editing. There are many shots of the family preparing for school, commuting by train to work, visiting members of their community that have a feeling of intimacy, especially as the boys play and fight quite often and the parents quarrel. Perhaps it is a result of filming in small spaces like the apartment the family uses, but there is the sense of being trapped which grows when we see Issace dealing with polite but cold bureaucrats who urge them to leave the country and also the shame they feel having to accept donations from friends. The stress is too much for Khin whose face is a grim mask of unhappiness throughout most of proceedings and it is little surprise when she is hospitalised with depression. This leads to a firm break in the narrative as the conflict between Issace over staying or going crescendoes and Khin decides to take the kids back to Burma.

Whether this is an act of selfishness or a necessary measure is debatable but what is certain is that the film does well in depicting what problems arise from being paperless citizens and the psychological toll it takes on people who lose their humanity and live with constant uncertainty. Which isn’t to say the film is political. Indeed, it grows greater in impact as it switches its focus to depict the inner struggles of Kaung who has to deal with a great change in his environment.

While Htet is young and able to adapt quickly, the slightly older Kaung already has a sense of identity as a Japanese child. The films wants us to identify with him and succeeds in making us do so. He speaks Japanese and seems to act Japanese. His clothes are markedly better than those of others and he cannot speak to the locals who take to mocking him and so the problems of taking a kid out of their environment is felt with every scene in Burma where Kaung regards the more chaotic world with horror and bewilderment. He has an open and expressive face and an energy that fluctuates between loveable and rebellious and so when he says he hates something, boy does he mean it and he hates Burma. He lists his complaints and his concerns grow as he mulls over his lack of connection with his father. These kids are untrained actors but both of boys are Khin’s real-life sons which explains why the scenes where they argue hold power. Then the boys make connections with their mother country and that tight camera work feels freer and more expansive as they roam the streets and get to know people. The place may be dirty and dangerous, noisy and crowded (contrasts shown simply and cleanly on screen) but it holds possibilities, the lights and colours of the city looking exciting. The change in behaviour is remarkable but believable. The tug of their Japanese identity and messy transnational politics remain but there’s the suggestion of moving forward as well as the greater sense of international relations between Japan and Burma. This makes the film worth watching but it’s the human drama at the centre which defines everything.

Fujimoto, a first-time feature film director, worked with non-professional actors and their efforts ensured the film won the Spirit of Asia Award, given by the Japan Foundation Asia Center as well as winning the Asian Future competition at last year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. The accolades are well-deserved even if the politics of Burma and immigration are not directly confronted. This is the story of a family and they are just as important as any weighty issues and they open a window on Japan’s connection with Burma and Asia as a whole.

My review was originally published on V-Cinema on April 15th.

The Fantasia International Film Festival starts in Montreal next week on July 12th and runs until August 02nd. The selection of Japanese films is simply stunning with titles from Miki Satoshi, Takashi Miike,  Nobuhiko Obayashi, Sion Sono and more. However, there are a selection of indie film titles that look absolutely killer as well.

This is the 22nd edition of the festival and it has become a focal point for filmmakers, festival programmers, journalists, and audiences eager to see a diverse slate of films before they hit the DVD or internet and take part in film culture. There are lots of guests and great experiences to be had and a chance to get involved with dictating which films get the hype behind them, so please choose Japanese, and try some of the titles listed here.

So what’s lined up?

There’s a rich mixture of indie and commercial features that have been programmed and the ones I’m listing first are the newest and ones I’ve written about the least.

Click on the titles to be taken through to the festival page for each film.

Amiko    

あみこ 「Amiko」

Running Time: 66 mins.

Release Date: N/A

Director: Yoko Yamanaka

Writer: Yoko Yamanaka (Screenplay),

Starring: Ai Sunohara, Hiroshi Oshita, Mineo Maiko,

This special gem won the Audience Award and Hikari TV Award at the Pia Film Festival and was featured at the Berlin International Film Festival and it will be at Japan Cuts this month as well. It’s an excellent debut film from Yoko Yamanaka and shows a filmmaker who is unafraid to use the camera and her actors in distinctive and, crucially, fun ways to deliver a quirky comedy about a sucky first love. My review for this film was finished last week, less than a day after watching it because the film left me feeling so hype!

Yoko Yamanaka will be hosting the screening so make her feel welcome!

SEE THIS FILM!!!

Synopsis: 16-year-old Amiko is convinced that “the Japanese are unable to dance spontaneously.” She’s just tried it out herself, with some strangers in a Tokyo underground passage. Believing that she’s had more than her fair share of days where she’d do absolutely anything, she’s left behind the provincial city of Nagano to head to the capital and take her heartthrob Aomi to task. A year before, she took a long winter’s walk with him and thought she’d met her soulmate, someone else like her who wonders in which phase of life there’s actually room for being happy. But then he disappeared, headed for Tokyo, together with Amiko’s nemesis Miyako of all people, the very “epitome of mass culture”, quite unlike her anti-bourgeois and wildly romantic self.

Violence Voyager

バイオレンス・ボイジャー　「Baiorensu Boijya-」               

Release Date: 2019 (Japan)

Running Time: 84 mins.

Director: Ujicha

Writer: Ujicha (Screenplay)

Starring: Aoi Yuki, Naoki Tanaka, Shigeo Takahashi, Tomorowo Taguchi, Daisuke Ono, Saki Fujita,

Kyoto Saga Art University graduate Uji Cha is a talented animator. His last work was The Burning Buddha Man (2012) which I wrote about back in 2013. It went on a festival tour because of its impressive creation. Ujicha used hand-made and painted paper cutouts, animated by hand, to tell a horror story. He has dubbed it “Geki-mation” and directs, writes, draws, edits, his own work and it is clear to see his skill is undeniable. It’s good to have him back with Violence Voyager.

Synopsis: An American boy named Bobby and his friend Akkun head to the mountains to build a secret base but when they encounter a group of scared kids stuck in a mysterious amusement park called Violence Voyager, they soon find themselves under attack by robot-like humanoids!

Louder!: Can’t Hear What You’re Singin’, Wimp!   

音量を上げろタコ！なに歌ってんのか全然わかんねぇんだよ!! 「Onryo wo Agero Tako! Nani Utatten noka Zenzen Wakannendayo!!」

Running Time: 106 mins.

Release Date: October 12th, 2018

Director: Satoshi Miki

Writer:  Satoshi Miki (Screenplay),

Starring: Sadao Abe, Riho Yoshioka, Yudai Chiba, Kumiko Aso, Eri Fuse, Ryo Iwamatsu, Suzuki Matsuo, Shoko Ikezu,

Website    IMDB

Miki Satoshi (Adrift in Tokyo) is back (!!!!!!!) and this film looks like a whole lotta fun!!! This is the World Premiere so be amongst the first to see it! And, you can see it with the director Satoshi Miki who will be there at the premiere!

Synopsis: Sin (Sadao Abe) is a rock star who has the most awesome vocal chords on the planet. He has a loud voice and can scale up and down four octaves. How is he able to do this? Vocal cord doping. This is not without its problems and his voice is wearing out but not before he meets a street musician named Fuka (Riho Yoshioka) who has the tiniest voice Sin has ever heard. However, her presence makes him look back upon his life and he decides to help her find her voice…

Being Natural 

天然☆生活 「Tennen Seikatsu」

Running Time: 96 mins.

Release Date: 2018

Director: Tadashi Nagayama

Writer:  Tadashi Nagayama, Yuriko Suzuki (Screenplay),

Starring: Yota Kawase, Kanji Tsuda, Natsuki Mieda, Tadahiro Tsuru, Shoichiro Tanigawa,

IMDB

This was at the Yubari Fantastic Film Festival and it’s a new indie film from a director with a lot of hype building up behind him. The screening will be hosted by director Tadashi Nagayama, producer Keiichiro Yatomi and the actors Yota Kawase and Natsuki Mieda.

https://vimeo.com/274635700

Synopsis: Taka is a simple chap and lives a quiet life in his rural town in his uncle’s house as he takes care of the old man with dementia. He spends his days playing games when not looking after others but his peaceful life changes when a couple from Tokyo arrive in the area with plans to open a coffee shop.

Room Laundering   

ルームロンダリング 「Ru-mu Rondaringu」

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Kenji Katagiri

Writer:  Kenji Katagiri, Tatsuya Umemoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Elaiza Ikeda, Joe Odagiri, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Miho Tsumiki, Eri Watanabe, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kaoru Mitsumune,

Website    IMDB

Tsutaya, the film rental company are involved with backing this title from a newbie director. It looks quirky as heck and features a fantastic cast.

Synopsis: Miko Yagumo (Elaiza Ikeda) has a strange job: she stays in the apartments of people who have just died in them. Murder, suicide, she’ll stay there. Why? Landlords must tell potential tenants if someone has died in the property they are planning to rent but the law is a bit fuzzy as to how many people down the line landlords need to inform. So in steps Miko, at the behest of her uncle Goro (Joe Odagiri) who got her into the gig, and she spends time at these places. Lately, she has begun to see ghosts. It kinda makes sense because Miko’s recently-disappeared mother had the same ability. Miko begins to act as an exorcist and a councillor for a variety of people who aren’t quite ready to give up the ghost on their apartments…

The Travelling Cat Chronicles    

旅猫リポート 「Tabineko Ripoto」

Running Time: 118 mins.

Release Date: October 26th, 2018

Director: Koichiro Miki

Writer:  Hiro Arikawa (Novel and Screenplay), Emiko Hiramatsu (Screenplay)

Starring: Sota Fukushi, Mitsuki Takahata, Yuko Takeuchi, Alice Hirose

Website    IMDB

I had this book with me as I travelled around Japan so I’m excited to see that it is being turned into a film.

Synopsis: Satoru (Sota Fukushi) is a kind-hearted man who has adopted a stray cat named Nana (voiced by Mitsuki Takahata) but since he cannot keep it he has a mission: to find a new owner for Nana. The two travel around and meet various people such as his childhood friend and his first love and Nana begins to understand his owner more.

Tornado Girl   

奥田民生になりたいボーイと出会う男すべて狂わせるガール 「Okuda Tamio ni Naritai Boy to Deau Otoko Subete Kuruwaseru Garu」

Running Time: 100 mins.

Release Date: September 16th, 2017

Director: Hitoshi One

Writer: Hitoshi One (Screenplay), Chokkaku Shibuya (Original Manga)

Starring: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kiko Mizuhara, Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Hirofumi Arai, Yuki Amami, Suzuki Matsuo, Noriko Eguchi,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Koroki (Satoshi Tsumabuki) works for the lifestyle magazine Malet but he has no style of his own so he decides to look for inspiration from someone he considers cool: Tamio Okuda. Koroki begins to act and dress like the pop star and this nets him the admiration of colleagues and the attention of Akari (Kiko Mizuhara), a publicist for a fashion magazine with a reputation for being too hot for the men to handle. But is this all an act on her part and what happens when the two become honest?

Kasane    

累 ―かさね― 「Kasane」

Running Time: 112 mins.

Release Date: September 07th, 2018

Director: Yuichi Sato

Writer:  Tsutomu Kuroiwa (Screenplay), Daruma Matsuura (Manga)

Starring: Tao Tsuchiya, Kyoko Yoshine, Yu Yokoyama, Rei Dan, Tadanobu Asano, Mariko Tsutsui, Tomoko Ikuta, Kunio Murai,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: Kasane (Kyoko Yoshine) is the daughter of a famous actress and while she has impressive acting talent she has none of her mother’s good looks because her face is deformed by a giant scar. This led to the girl becoming extremely shy and hiding away. The situation changes when her mother dies and she leaves behind enchanted lipstick that allows the wearer the power to switch faces with whomever they kiss. Around this time, an old colleague of her mother, Habuta (Tadanobu Asano), connects Kasane with an extremely beautiful but extremely arrogant and talentless actress named Nina (Tao Tsuchiya) who seems to be the perfect person to use but the man has other plans...

Rokuroku: The Promise of the Witch   

ロクロク 「Rokuroku 」

Running Time: 91 mins.

Release Date: January 27^th, 2018

Director: Yudai Yamaguchi

Writer: Keita Amemiya, Yuki Kumagai(Screenplay),

Starring: Miho Nakanishi, Shiho, Karia Nomoto, Erika Asakura, Mickey Curtis, Mayuko Iwasa, Motoki Ochiai, Kokone Sasaki,

Website IMDB

Yudai Yamaguchi, the man behind low-budget trashy horror films like Meatball Machine (2005), Tamami: The Baby’s Curse (2008), and Deadball (2011), works with Keita Amemiya, creator of the GARO franchise, to bring this collection of horror tales to the big screen.

Synopsis: I remember I agreed to something stupid…

A promise, lost in a comer of the girls’ minds.

Izumi is a normal woman who lives with her parents and a dementia-afflicted grandfather but her life takes a strange turn when he receives a social media friend request from her middle-school classmate Mika, someone she has bad memories of. The two meet and go to the restaurant at a hotel but they are trapped there and, despite looking for a way to escape, go into going to a room numbered 666. It is there that they encounter Rokuroku, a woman with a long-neck woman who wears a red kimono. Rokuroku says to Izumi and Mika,“You promised.” Audiences will soon find out just what was promised and what has happened to others who have encountered Rokuroku over the course of nine tales…

Wilderness Part One    

あゝ、荒野　「Aa, Koya」

Wilderness Part Two

あゝ、荒野　後篇 「Aa, Koya Kohen」

Running Time: 304 mins.

Release Date: October 07th, 2017

Director: Yoshiyuki Kishi    

Writer:  Yoshiyuki Kishi, Takehiko Mintao (Screenplay), Shuji Terayama (Novel),

Starring: Masaki Suda, Yang Ik-June, Akari Kinoshita, Tae Kimura, DenDen, Yusuke Santamaria, Anna Konno, Aoba Kawai,

Website    IMDB (Wilderness Part One) IMDB (Wilderness Part Two)

Two films combined and playing at five hours. I avoided writing about this one at previous festivals due to a severe lack of time but having finally confronted it, I can see these films is definitely one worth tracking down and watching in one go. It comes from Yoshiyuki Kishi (Double Life) and stars Masaki Suda (The Light Shines Only There).

Synopsis: Japan is facing a social crisis in the year 2021. Despite the bright hope of the Tokyo Olympics, what has transpired for the country has been a deterioration of the quality of people’s lives as the welfare system collapses and unemployment and suicide becoming a problem for the youth who protest government policies that have led to this state of affairs. Against this backdrop of declining tranquillity, a violent young man (Masaki Suda) has left juvenile detention and joined a boxing club where he meets Kenji (Yang Ik-June), a man living with an abusive father. The two train to escape their demons and they connect with each other but events in the boxing-ring will separate them once they step in together.

Penguin Highway      

打ち上げ花火、下から見るか？横から見るか？ 「Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?」

Release Date: August 18th, 2017

Running Time: 119 mins.

Director: Hiroyasu Ishida

Writer: Makoto Ueda (Screenplay), Tomihiko Morimi (Original Script)

Starring: Kana Kita (Aoyama), Yuu Aoi (Mysterious Lady), Hidetoshi Nishijima (Aoyama’s Father), Megumi Han (Hamamoto), Naoto Takenaka (Hamamoto’s Father),

Animation Production: Studio Colorido

Website   ANN MAL

Synopsis: Aoyama is an elementary school student who makes notes in his diary every day. His town is quiet but his heart races every so often because he has a crush on a mysterious older woman who works as a dental assistant. One day, a group of penguins appears in his quiet suburban neighbourhood and Aoyama and the older lady want to discover the reason for their appearance.

Aragne: Sign of Vermillion      

アラーニェの虫籠 「Aragne no Mushikago」

Release Date: August 18th, 2018

Running Time: 75 mins.

Director: Saku Sakamoto

Writer: Saku Sakamoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Kana Hanazawa (Rin), Ayana Shiramoto (Nasuha), Yosuke Ito (Tokiyo), Fukujuurou Katayama (Saion), Shuogo Batari (Mikaya)

Animation Production: zelicofilm

Website   ANN Kickstarter

Saku Sakamoto has taken on direction, writing, composing the music, CG and more roles to get this film made. It’s an epic undertaking that looks different from the usual anime so make Saku Sakamoto feel welcome and ask questions when you see this because he is hosting the screenings!

Synopsis: Rin (Kana Hanazawa) is an 18-year-old university student who is shy and anxious and a new arrival at her apartment complex. It’s a rundown and unfriendly place where crimes are occurring. There’s something darker stirring in the place, something supernatural and sinister and Run begins to investigate instead of moving the out.

Punk Samurai Slash Down   

パンク侍、斬られて候 「Panku Samurai Kirarete Soro」

Running Time: 131 mins.

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Director:  Gakuryu Ishii

Writer:  Kankuro Kudo (Screenplay), Ko Machida (Original Novel)

Starring: Gou Ayano, Keiko Kitagawa, Shota Sometani, Masahiro Higashide, Tadanobu Asano, Masatoshi Nagase, Jun Murakami, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Jun Kunimura, Etsushi Toyokawa,

Website    IMDB

Punk-rocker Ko Machida’s novel is given the big screen treatment by Gakuyu Ishii of ELECTRIC DRAGON 80000V, Angel Dust and Bitter Honey fame and the cast is full of super-talented actors!

Synopsis: Junoshin Kake (Gou Ayano) is a ronin eager to get nto the service of the Kurokaze plan s he concocts a lie about a doomsday cult called the Bellyshakers agitating for violence. He finds himself caught up in his own lies, the schemes of two clan retainers, the cult, and a whole host of other plans and plots from a bunch of weirdos such as a telekinetic imbecile and a talking monkey warlord.

There are many films that have been on the festival circuit for a while and here they are:

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Hanagatami    

花筐 「Hanagatami」

Running Time: 169 mins.

Release Date: December 16th, 2017

Director:  Nobuhiko Obayashi

Writer: Nobuhiko Obayashi, Chiho Katsura(Screenplay),

Starring: Shunsuke Kubozuka, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Keishi Nagatsuka, Tokio Emoto, Mugi Kadowaki, Yuriko Oo, Tetsuya Takeda, Takako Tokiwa, Hirona Yamazaki,

IMDB Website

Hanagatami is the latest film from veteran director Nobuhiko Obayashi, probably best known in the West for his 70s horror-musical House. This was at the Tokyo International Film Festival where it got a myriad of reviews praising Obayashi’s vision in bringing a unique (Japan Times, for example) film an anti-war message as well as its exuberant colourful celebration of youth to the screen. Obayashi has started making another film in Onomichi so check this one out as you wait for his next title.

Synopsis: It is the spring of 1941 and the setting is Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture. Toshihiko Sakakiyama (Shunsuke Kubozuka), who has just returned from Amsterdam where his parents are living, to live a 17-year-old, to live with his wealthy aunt Keiko (Takako Tokiwa) and attend the local boys’ high school. He lives life to the full with dinner parties and picnics, frolicking in the country and partying in the city. He does this with a close group of friends including a cousin named Mina who suffers from lung disease but the war is drawing closer and their lives will be changed forever… 

Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura   

DESTINY 鎌倉ものがたり 「DESTINY Kamakura Monogatari」

Running Time: 129 mins.

Release Date: December 09th, 2017

Director:  Takashi Yamazaki

Writer:  Takashi Yamazaki (Screenplay), Ryohei Saigan (Original Manga)

Starring: Masato Sakai, Mitsuki Takahata, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Sakura Ando, Min Tanaka, Tamao Nakamura, Mikako Ichikawa, Jun Kunimura, Tomokazu Miura,

Website IMDB

Masato Sakai (Key of Life) and Mitsuki Takahata (Japanese Girls Never Die) take the lead in this charming-looking magical mystery film. She’s got a lot of great support from Min Tanaka (Haruneko, Maison de Himiko), Mikako Ichikawa (Rent-a-Cat), Sakura Ando (100 Yen Love) and Jun Kunimura and Shinichi Tsutsumi (both in Why Don’t You Play in Hell?)

Synopsis: Kamakura is the ancient capital of Japan and the place where ghosts, demons, and youkai appear on a daily basis. Akiko (Takahata) is the freshly-minted wife of the mystery writer Masakazu Ichimoku (Sakai) and she gets a surprise every day with her supernatural neighbours. She also sees her husband help the police investigate difficult cases involving monsters and ghosts and she soon gets caught up in a case of her own…

I Am a Hero    

アイアムアヒーロー「Ai amu a hi-ro-」

Release Date: April 23^rd, 2016

Running Time: 127 mins.

Director: Shinsuke Sato

Writer: Akiko Nogi (Screenplay), Kengo Hanazawa (Original Manga)

Starring: Yo Oizumi, Masami Nagasawa, Kasumi Arimura, Miho Suzuki, Yu Tokui, Yoshinari Okada, Nana Katase,

Website    IMDB

I Am a Hero was first published in 2009 and in the years since it was launched it has over 4 million copies in print. My review of the manga shows how much I like it and I have been half-anticipating half-dreading seeing what the film will turn into. The trailer has left me relieved. I like what I see and I will write a review for the film soon.

Synopsis: Hideo Suzuki (Yo Oizumi) is a manga artist assistant who is struggling to get his own manga made. As he struggles with life a mysterious virus spreads throughout Japan and the rest of the world. People with the virus are known as ZQN and they turn into zombies with super speed and strength and attack other people. One of the victims of the virus is Hideo’s girlfriend Tetsuko (Nana Katase) who comes down with the virus and attacks him. Hideo flees Tokyo and heads out into the country.

During his escape he meets a high school girl named Hiromi Hayakari (Kasumi Arimura) but she has been bitten by a ZQN, a baby without teeth, so her infection isn’t as bad. During their escape they head to a mall where a group of survivors lead by NEETs are hiding on the roof. There they meet Nurse Yabu (Masami Nagasawa) who hopes she can draw an antibody from Hiromi.

Ajin: Demi-Human    

亜人 「Ajin」

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: September 30th, 2017

Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro

Writer:  Koji Seko, Masahiro Yamaura (Screenplay), Gamon Sakurai (Original Manga)

Starring: Takeru Satoh, Gou Ayano, Yudai Chiba, Tetsuji Tamayama, Minami Hamabe, Yuu Shirota, Yuki Yamada, Rina Kawaei.

Website    IMDB

This one is based on an action manga and manages to transfer a lot of the action to the screen in some exhilarating sequences but the sheer amount is exhausting after a while. The open ending promises a sequel.

Synopsis: Kei Nagai (Takeru Satoh) is an Ajin, a type of immortal human whose body can fix itself even after the most terrible accidents. This ability is why he is captured by the government and experimented on. His only hope seems to be a fellow Ajin named Sato (Gou Ayano) who plans acts of mass-murder against normal humans but Kei cannot bring himself to do this…

Tokyo Vampire Hotel

東京ヴァンパイアホテル　「Toukyou banpai hoteru」

Running Time: 142 mins.

Release Date: October 28th, 2017

Director:  Sion Sono (biography   season)

Writer: Sion Sono, Jun Tsugita, Manabu Ikarimoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Yumi Adachi, Kaho, Ami Tomite, Megumi Kagurazaka, Akihiro Kitamura, Shinnosuke Mitsushima,

IMDB

Sion Sono (Suicide Club, Love Exposure) is back. Adapted from the Amazon series, Tokyo Vampire Hotel sees two vampire tribes go to war as the world faces an apocalypse. The series is based on an original screenplay and stars actress Kaho (Puzzle), Ami Tomite (Antiporno), Yumi Adachi; and Megumi Kagurazaka, the director’s wife who practically stars in most of his films post Cold Fish. It was filmed in Japan, and also in Transylvania and Romania, including Dracula’s Castle. Here’s an article over at The Japan Times. It has been programmed at the Five Flavours Film Festival and Tokyo FILMeX.

Synopsis: Manami’s (Ami Tomite) night starts off great as she is celebrating her 22nd birthday in a pub in Shinjuku but it all ends in a bloodbath when she is caught up in a massacre. She’s the only survivor and now that she’s 22, she has access to special vampire powers. This isn’t random. It turns out she is connected to the Dracula clan, something she finds out when she is followed by a mysterious woman who calls herself K (Kaho) and a mysterious man named Yamada who represents the Corvin clan. Both are vampires from rival clans and both want Manami but Yamada has her trapped in a hotel where humans will have to donate blood for all eternity as the collapse of civilisation seems to be happening outside… 

Laplace’s Witch       

ラプラスの魔女 「Rapurasu no Majo」

Running Time: 116 mins.

Release Date: May 04th, 2018

Director:  Takashi Miike

Writer: Hiroyuki Yatsu (Screenplay), Keigo Higashino (Original Novel)

Starring: Sho Sakurai, Suzu Hirose, Sota Fukushi, Mirai Shida, Hiroshi Tamaki, Eriko Sato, Rei Dan, Lily Franky, Tao, Etsushi Toyokawa,

Website IMDB

Synopsis: When two people die after being poisoned by hydrogen sulfide at two different hot springs in two different areas, an environmental analyst named Professor Shusuke Aoe (Sho Sakurai) is drafted in by the police to work his magic on the geochemistry of the area and determine whether the deaths are freak accidents or murder. His investigation becomes distinctly strange when he encounters Madoka Uhara (Suzu Hirose), a youg girl who can correctly guess when a natural phenomenon will occur. Her powers make her a suspect when a third person is killed…

Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

さよならの朝に約束の花をかざろう 「Sayonara no Asa ni Yakusoku no Hana wo Kazarou」

Running Time: 115 mins.

Director:  Mari Okada

Writer: Mari Okada (Screenplay),

Starring: Manaka Iwami (Maquia), Miyu Irino (Ariel), Misaki Kuno (Medmel), Tomokazu Sugita (Izol), Hiroaki Hirata (Barlow), Yoko Hikasa (Dita), Rina Satou (Mido),

Animation Production: P.A. Works

Website ANN MAL

The film is the directorial debut of anime screenwriter Mari Okada (Anthem of the Heart, The Dark Maidens) and it was animated at P.A. Works.

Synopsis: Maquia, comes from the elfin lolf race. They stop ageing in their mid teens. She isn’t as brave as Leilia, the most beautiful girl in her clan and the person she idolises. Although her days are peaceful she feels lonely, maybe because she has no parents and Leila has attracted the attention of Clear, the boy Maquia has secret feelings for. When an army of dragon-riding bandits invades seeking the legendary women who stop ageing, Maquia is able to escape, but she loses her friends and her home. Wandering alone in the forests of the outside world, a place she was warned to avoid, she finds Erial, a baby boy who has lost his parents. Unable to leave him behind, she adopts him, initially untroubled by the fact he will age like a human while she won’t…

Fireworks    

打ち上げ花火、下から見るか？横から見るか？ 「Uchiage Hanabi, Shita kara Miru ka? Yoko kara Miru ka?」

Release Date: August 18th, 2017

Running Time: 90 mins.

Chief Director: Akiyuki Shinbo, Director: Nobuyuki Takeuchi

Writer: Hitoshi One (Screenplay), Shunji Iwai (Original Script)

Starring: Suzu Hirose (Nazuna Oikawa), Masaki Suda (Norimichi Shimada), Mamoru Miyano (Yuusuke Azumi), Kana Hanazawa (Miura-sensei), Takako Matsu (Nazuna’s mother),

Animation Production: Shaft

Website   ANN MAL

Synopsis: Norimichi Shimada and his friends are going to enjoy the summer fireworks but they have one question they want answered: do they look round or flat from the side? One person has more important matters on her mind, his classmate, Nazuna Oikawa, who plans to run away from home before her parent’s divorce. She wants Norimichi to join her but things get weird when a strange orb in Nazuna’s possession begins influencing their situation.

Inuyashiki   

いぬやしき 「Inuyashiki」

Running Time: 127 mins.

Release Date: April 20th, 2018

Director: Shinsuke Sato

Writer: Hiroshi Hashimoto (Screenplay), Hiroya Oku (Original Manga)

Starring: Noritake Kinashi, Takeru Satoh, Kanata Hongo, Fumi Nikaido, Yuki Saito, Yusuke Iseya, Mari Hamada, Ayaka Miyoshi, Nayuta Fukuzaki,

Website IMDB

This is based on a manga series by Hiroya Oku, the guy who created the super-disturbing horror sci-fi Gantz. Inuyashiki was turned into an anime that turned out to be pretty good. The live-action version looks like it should be fun. Takeru Satoh (Rurouni Kenshin and Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno) stars as the bad guy. Director Shinsuke Sato will be hosting this screening so get hyped!

Synopsis: Ichiro Inuyashiki (Noritake Kinashi) is a salary-man on his way out. Unappreciated at work and at home and freshly diagnosed with cancer, his life looks miserable but things take a drastic turn when he is involved in an explosion. When he regains consciousness, he discovers that he has been transformed into a cyborg. Far from freaking out, he has a new lease of life and decides to use his powers to help those in need. Meanwhile, Hiro Shishigami (Takeru Satoh), a high school student, was also involved in the very same explosion and has gained the very same the powers. He just wants to see the world burn. Two super-powered people do battle in Japan!

One Cut of the Dead 

カメラを止めるな！ 「Kamera wo tomeru na!」

Running Time: 96 mins.

Release Date: November 04th, 2017

Director:  Shinichiro Ueda

Writer: Shinichiro Ueda (Screenplay),

Starring: Kazuki Nagaya, Manabu Hosoi, Tomokazu Yamaguchi,

Website

This film has been earning a lot of hype on the festival circuit where it won the audience award at Udine and it is getting played at the New York Asian Film Festival, you can catch it in Montreal.

Synopsis: A film crew are dragged to an abandoned warehouse in the mountains by a super-dedicated director to film a zombie movie. Rumour has it that the place was used for military experiments so that adds to the atmosphere of the film but the cast and crew find that their work turns real when honest to goodness zombies start showing up and chowing down on people. Does the director stop? Hell no! He keeps on shooting and the results are captured in one 37 minute take.

Bleach    

Running Time: 108 mins.

Release Date: July 20^th, 2018

Director:  Shinsuke Sato

Writer:  (Screenplay), Tite Kubo (Original Story),

Starring: Masami Nagasawa, Miyavi, Hana Sugisaki, Erina Mano, Sota Fukushi, Ryo Yoshizawa, Yosuke Eguchi,

IMDB Website

Director Shinsuke Sato will be in attendance.

Synopsis: Ichigo Kurosaki (Sota Fukushi) has the ability to see spirits. Thanks to this, he meets a “Soul Reaper” (shinigami) by the name of Rukia Kuchiki (Hana Sugisaki), who transfers her powers to him after being injured by an evil spirit known as a “Hollow.” Under Rukia’s guidance, Ichigo trains to harness his newfound Soul Reaper abilities in the battle against Hollows while Rukia does her best to fit in as a human high school girl.

Tremble All You Want  

勝手にふるえてろ 「Katte ni Furue tero」

Running Time: 117 mins.

Release Date: December 23^rd, 2017

Director:  Akiko Ooku

Writer: Akiko Ooku (Screenplay), Risa Wataya (Original Novel)

Starring: Mayu Matsuoka, Daichi Watanabe, Takumi Kitamura, Anna Ishibashi, Kanji Furutachi, Hairi Katagiri,

IMDB Website

A person obsessed with ammonites? How quaint. However, I can’t ready the synopsis for this and not think about the Junji Ito manga Uzumaki.  This one was at the Tokyo International Film Festival where it won the Audience Award.

Synopsis: Yoshika (Mayu Matsuoka) is 24-years-old with a fairly unique hobby: she likes researching ammonite fossils and collects them. Perhaps this explains why she doesn’t have a boyfriend in her life. Or maybe the lack of a man is down to the fact that she pines for her first love, a guy from school named Ichi. One day, Ni, a guy who works at the same company, confesses his feelings for her.

River’s Edge   

リバーズ・エッジ 「Riba-zu Ejji」

Running Time: 118 mins.

Release Date: February 16th , 2018

Director:  Isao Yukisada

Writer: Isao Yukisada (Screenplay),

Starring: Fumi Nikaidou, Ryo Yoshizawa, Aoi Morikawa, Shuhei Uesugi, Sumire, Shiori Doi,

Website   IMDB

Isao Yukisada is a familiar face to appear at Berinale since this is his fourth film to appear in the Panorama section. His feature film debut was Sunflower which won the Fipresci Prize at the 2000 Busan International Film Festival. Go is his 2001 teen action film which was nominated for over 50 international awards but his biggest film in Japan is Crying Out Love in the Center of the World ) reached an audience of 6.2 million, making it Japan’s most commercially successful film of 2004. I’ve reviewed two of his works, Parade (2010) and Aroused by Gymnopedies (2016).

Synopsis: This is a film told from a variety of perspectives, all linked up to show a generation and their experiences with extreme emotions. Stories consist of a bulimic model who gorges herself on food every night, a gay highschooler who is bullied by classmates who discovers something gruesome in a polluted river, a girl who pushes the boundaries of rough sex to frightening levels, and an introvert who reads her pregnant sister’s diaries.

If you made it to the end, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it and discover some great films!

Happy weekend, you lovely people!

I hope you are well!

I’ve had a busy week packed full of fun things. Sunday started with VCinema posting my review of The Blood of Wolves and then I posted a review for Passage of Life. I then posted a preview for the Fantasia International Film Festival over in Montreal, Canada which looks absolutely fantastic. Vcinema also published my review for The Scythian Lamb. In the real world, the weather has been great and I continued with my day job and went to a funding meeting with a friend for her film festival. I also met Prince Charles at work and I had the chance to shake his hand and talk to him about my role in an exhibition! I have a couple of invites for drinks next week but I’ve got to get two film reviews filed away and do some more festival work before I can think about them.

What is released this weekend?

Room Laundering   

ルームロンダリング 「Ru-mu Rondaringu」

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Kenji Katagiri

Writer:  Kenji Katagiri, Tatsuya Umemoto (Screenplay),

Starring: Elaiza Ikeda, Joe Odagiri, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Miho Tsumiki, Eri Watanabe, Tomorowo Taguchi, Kaoru Mitsumune,

Website    IMDB

Tsutaya, the film rental company are involved with backing this title from a newbie director. It looks quirky as heck and features a fantastic cast.

Synopsis: Miko Yagumo (Elaiza Ikeda) has a strange job: she stays in the apartments of people who have just died in them. Murder, suicide, she’ll stay there. Why? Landlords must tell potential tenants if someone has died in the property they are planning to rent but the law is a bit fuzzy as to how many people down the line landlords need to inform. So in steps Miko, at the behest of her uncle Goro (Joe Odagiri) who got her into the gig, and she spends time at these places. Lately, she has begun to see ghosts. It kinda makes sense because Miko’s recently-disappeared mother had the same ability. Miko begins to act as an exorcist and a councillor for a variety of people who aren’t quite ready to give up the ghost on their apartments…

The Chrysanthemum and the Guillotine    

菊とギロチン　女相撲とアナキス 「Kiku to Girochin Onnazumo to Anakisuto」

Running Time: 189 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Takahisa Zeze

Writer:  Takahisa Zeze, Toranosuke Aizawa (Screenplay),

Starring: Hanae Kan, Masahiro Higashide, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Maho Yamada, Takashi Yamanaka, Yoko Kamon, Shun Sugata, Shohei Uno, Yota Kawase,

Website    

Synopsis: This is billed as Takahisa Zeze’s first original project in eight years and takes place in Tokyo in the Taisho era, immediately after the Great Kanto Earthquake. A group of women join a female sumo wrestler stable to escape bad backgrounds such as domestic violence and prostitution and they practice hard with the intention of “becoming stronger and living with their own power”. Anarchist groups and those who advocate “an equal society without disparity” are fascinated by the female wrestlers’ fighting and support them.

Rainbow Days    

虹色デイズ 「Nijiiro Deizu」

Running Time: 109 mins.

Release Date: July 06th, 2018

Director: Ken Iizuka

Writer:  Rika Nezu (Screenplay), Minami Mizuno (Manga)

Starring: Reo Sano, Taishi Nakagawa, Mahiro Takasugi, Ryusei Yokohama, Ai Yoshikawa, Yuri Tsunematsu, Mayu Hotta, Nozomi Bando, Yuki Yamada, Kenichi Takito

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: High-school boys Natsuki Hashiba (Reo Sano), Tomoya Matsunaga (Taishi Nakagawa), Tsuyoshi Naoe (Mahiro Takasugi),and Keiichi Katakura (Ryusei Yokohama) are close friends who enjoy happy lives but when Natsuki starts getting the hots for Anna Kobayakawa (Ai Yoshikawa), their daily lives begin to change.

36.8°C Sanjurokudohachibu   

36.8℃ サンジュウロクドハチブ 「36.8°C Sanjurokudohachibu」

Running Time: 65 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Mana Yasuda

Writer:  Mana Yasuda (Screenplay),

Starring: Mayu Hotta, Makiko Watanabe, Yasufumi Terawaki, Amon Hirai, Ryuichi Ando, Haruna Kishimoto, Sagisa Nishino, Masaki Kitahara,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis: High-school girl Wakana (Mayu Hotta) has a peaceful life but is sensitive to others. She meets an office lady named Mizuho who she chats to through SNS to talk about her worries.

One Man’s Son    

一人の息子 「Hitori no Musuko」

Running Time: 86 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Kenji Tani

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Ryoma Baba, Yuki Tamaki, Ayame Misaki, Keiko Takeshita, Tomohisa Yuge, Shota Takasaki,

Website    IMDB

Synopsis:When Itsuki Yamauchi’s (Ryoma Baba) father collapses, he has to attend to the old man despite not having a good relationship with him. He connects with Ayumu Kurata (Yuki Tamaki) who doesn’t have a father when the two men come into contact with a piece of paper.

You, Your, Yours    

君が君で君だ 「Kimi ga Kimi de Kmi da」

Running Time: 104 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Daigo Matsui

Writer:  Daigo Matsui (Screenplay)

Starring: Sosuke Ikematsu, Kim Kkobbi, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Koji Ookura, Mahiro Takasugi, Eriko Nakamura, Maho Yamada, Ken Mitsuishi, You, Osamu Mukai,

Website

Synopsis:3 men who are in love with the same woman, Hime (Kim Kkobbi) change themselves to whom their love admires: Japanese musician Yutaka Ozaki (Sosuke Ikematsu), popular American actor Brad Pitt (Shinnosuke Mitsushima) and historical political figure Ryoma Sakamoto (Koji Ookura). Just as they do this, they find the end of their love is near.

K SEVEN STORIES Episode1 「R:B BLAZE」   

Release Date: June 30th, 2018

Running Time: 65 mins.

Director: Shingo Suzuki

Writer: Azano Kouhei (Screenplay), GoRA, GoHands (Original Creator)

Starring: Kenjiro Tsuda (Mikoto Suoh), Tomokazu Sugita (reisi Munakata), Takahiro Sakurai (Izumo Kusanagi), Yuuki Kaji (Tatara Totsuka), Taku Yashiro (Daichi Yamata), Miyuki Sawashiro (Seri Awashima),

Animation Production: GoHands

Website   ANN MAL K Wiki

Synopsis: One year from Scepter 4’s dissolution and the HOMRA members are running uncontrolled, many are frustrated with new Red King Mikoto Suoh’s increasing power but a new Blue King has awakened and rebuilds Scepter 4 to deal with the HOMRA gang just before a conflict kicks off.

Okinawa 1965    

Running Time: 95 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Shinya Todori

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Kyoko Ureshino, Etsuko Shiyabana, Takamatsu Gujiken,

Website    

Synopsis: The conflict between over the US military presence in Okinawa continues to rage 46 years after the island was given back to the Japanese. Documentaries about people protesting are quite common but this one looks at a tragic case where a girl was killed by a US military truck. Her body was photographed by the photographer Kyoko Ureshino. The documentary traces her activities at the time.

I’m not sure I got the director’s name right but he did direct a 2014 documentary which can be found in an old trailer post here.

Into the Shin Guu    

熊野から　イントゥ・ザ・新宮 「Kumano Kara Into Za Shinguu」

Running Time: 83 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Chiseko Tanaka (IMDB)

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Tsuyoshi Kaibe, KENT, Shiro Sano Yayoi Suzuki, Sakiko Uran,

Website

Synopsis: This is the third in a semi-documentary series from critic/filmmaker Chiseko Tanaka and it’s about the Kumano, Wakayama, an area full of fascinating history, temples and famed for its horses. and it heads to Shingu City to take in world heritage sites. A previous Chiseko Tanaka film, the one that this new one is a sequel to, can be found in this trailer post.

Hooked on the Jomon    

縄文にハマる人々 「Jomon ni Hamaru Hitobito」

Running Time: 103 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Nozomi Yamaoka

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Komuai (Narration), Tatsuo Kobayashi, Takashi Sato, Seiko Ito, Rai Ifu, Shuzou Koyama, Dennis Banks, Yasushi Kosugi, Takashi Ikegami,

Website

Synopsis: The fantastic singer Komuai of Suiyoubi no Campanella shows up in another film this weekend. This one is a documentary about the Jomon period. It seeks to examine it and reveal hidden secrets that many people do not know or understand. To do this, archaeologists, musicians, artists, and experts are interviewed.

Hotaru no Kawa no Mamoribito         

ほたるの川のまもりびと 「Hotaru no Kawa no Mamoribito」

Running Time: 86 mins.

Release Date: July 07th, 2018

Director: Eiji Yamada (IMDB)

Writer:  N/A

Starring: Tsuyoshi Kaibe, KENT, Shiro Sano Yayoi Suzuki, Sakiko Uran,

Website

Synopsis: There is a small village in Nagasaki Prefecture just downstream of the Kawagashi River. The villagers are battling against plans for the “Ishiki Dam” and have been fighting for half a century. Some people took compensation money and left but there are still 54 people in 13 households fighting for their homes.

The Asian Film Festival Dallas runs from July 19th to 26^th and is continuing its mission of bringing movies from Asian and Asian-American filmmakers living around the world to audiences in Dallas, Texas in order to celebrate and support emerging and established filmmakers and sharing the rich diversity of Asian culture through films.