Happy weekend, again!
I hope you are still feeling good.
I’ve been watching short films this week but also got a bit of Karaoke Terror for my feature fill. This is the follow-up instalment to yesterday’s trailer post.
What else is released this weekend in Japan?
To Sleep So as to Dream 
夢みるように眠りたい 「Yumemiru you ni nemuritai」
Release Date: May 18th, 1986
Duration: 84 mins.
Director: Kaizo Hayashi
Writer: Kaizo Hayashi (Script),
Starring: Shiro Sano, Moe Kamura, Morio Agata, Kenji Endo, Fujiko Fukamizu, Baiken Jukkanji, Kyoko Kusajima, Kazunari Ozawa,
Kaizo Hayashi, who is best known for his neo-noir Maiku Hama trilogy, The Most Terrible Time in My Life (1994), Stairway to the Distant Past (1995) and The Trap (1996), released BOLT last week. It was his latest film in a long while. His debut movie has been given the remaster treatment and is in Shibuya Euro Space for a limited run.
Synopsis: It is the Showa period and a private eye named Jin Uozuka (Shiro Sano) is hired to track down her missing daughter of an aging silent film actress named Sakura Tsukishima. Sakura was a big star and worked with pioneering director Norimasa Kaeriyama in the Taisho period but some of those films were lost. Jin and his wacky assistant uncover a kidnapping plot that blends reality with the fantasy world of films…
Independence of Japan 
日本独立 「Nihon dokuritsu」
Release Date: December 18th, 2020
Duration: 127 mins.
Director: Shunya Ito
Writer: Shunya Ito (Script),
Starring: Tadanobu Asano, Rie Miyazawa, Renji Ishibashi, Akira Emoto, Adam Templar, Kaoru Kobayashi, Miyoko Asada, Shiro Sano, Yutaka Matsushige,
Synopsis: Set in Japan just after the war, the drama depicts the actions of Japanese foreign minister Shigeru Yoshida and his friend/negotiator Jiro Shirasu who worked hard to establish the independence of Japan from the influence of General Douglas McArthur and GHQ at the time the constitution was being created.
Akogare no sora no shimo kyokasho no nai shogakko no ichinen
電車を止めるな！ のろいの6.4km 「Akogare no sora no shimo kyoukasho no nai shougakkou no ichinen」
Release Date: December 19th, 2020
Duration: 101 mins.
Director: Hiroshi Masuda, Fan Manman (?)
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Synopsis: A documentary about Wako Elementary School, a private elementary school in the posh Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, It is known for its unique education that does not use textbooks and, instead, prioritises children’s independence above all else. Kids are allowed to grow through lots of physical activities, discussions with supportive teachers and other techniques that encourage deep thinking and independence.
Seasons of Woman 
Release Date: December 19th, 2020
Duration: 80 mins.
Director: Ryo Kawasaki
Writer: Ryo Kawasaki (Script),
Starring: Haruka Imou, Ryoka Neya, Chika Uchida, Kaori Matsui, Yume Saito, Nanae Takimoto,
Synopsis: This is an omnibus movie consisting of four short films with the theme of “living as a woman” according to the changing four seasons. Each short was directed by Ryo Kawasaki (Wasted Eggs) and it took six years to produce all of them and then combine them for this film.
The stories are “Laughing Woman Club” set in spring, “Her Sunflower” in summer, “AUTUMN OF WOMAN” in autumn, and “Snow Woman” in winter. The characters include high school students, college students, and middle age women, all of whom are grappling with the worries and the problems faced by many women in Japan such as “marriage” and “childbirth”.
Chosa-ya Mao-san no koibumi 
調査屋マオさんの恋文 「Chosa-ya Mao-san no koibumi」
Release Date: December 19th, 2020
Duration: 78 mins.
Director: Iori Imai
Writer: N/A
Starring: Masao Sato, Seiko Sato, Voice Over: Iori Imai, Kako Ogawa,
Synopsis: This documentary, which won the Grand Prix at the Tokyo Documentary Film Festival 2019, records the daily lives of husband and wife duo Masao and Seiko Sato. Born in Korea in 1945, Masao travelled to Niigata at the end of the war and became a corporate warrior during the economic miracle Japan experienced. He started a market research company in Osaka after graduating from university and then travelled to Tokyo to pursue further business before he returned to Osaka and started a self-sufficient life with his family in order to rebuild his relationship with them. Then his wife, Seiko, developed dementia. Masao visits her in a nursing home and keeps a record of her words and actions that change every day. This film keeps a record of their time together.