Welcome to this trailer post, the second of the week
You can find the first trailer post here while the third (and final) trailer post of the week will be published tomorrow.
As already explained, I’m covering the Chicago Film Festival 2023 and it launched on October 11 so my reviews will start today and will continue for the next couple of weeks.
What are some of the other films released this weekend?
Whale Bones / Kujira no Hone 
鯨の骨 「Kujira no Hone」
Release Date: October 13th, 2023
Duration: 88 mins.
Director: Takamasa Oe
Writer: Takamasa Oe, Kaito Kikuchi (Screenplay),
Starring: Motoki Ochia, Ano, Ayaka Onishi, Mayu Yokota, Shohei Uno, Toshiaki Inomata,
This film was written and directed by Takamasa Oe, co-screenwriter of Drive My Car (2021),
Synopsis: Mamiya is an office worker on the verge of marriage whose biggest problem is insomnia until his fiancée decides to call it quits. After a colleague recommends that Mamiya meet a high school girl through a dating app, he takes her home but things get even worse because she commits suicide on his bed. He panics and decides to bury the body in the woods but it disappears from his car. Just when things couldn’t get any crazier, Mamiya discovers that she is a popular influencer named “Asuka” on an SNS app called “Mimi” and that he can meet her again through the app. He discovers that while Asuka is a charismatic figure with many fans, she is just as lonely as he is. The border between reality and illusion collapses as he follows her trail.
Jyoshidaikoji no Meitantei 
女子大小路の名探偵 「Jyoshidaikoji no Meitantei」
Release Date: October 13th, 2023
Duration: 95 mins.
Director: Tatsuya Matsuoka
Writer: Takehiko Hata (Screenplay/Original Novel),
Starring: Ayame Goriki, Kotaro Daigo, Rie Kitahara, Natsuki Hori, Yurina Yanagi,
Takehiko Hata adapts his own mystery novel into film form.
Synopsis: Mio Hironaka works as a part-time hostess at a bar on Joshi Daikoji in Nagoya. She is quick tempered and has a strong sense of justice. Her laidback younger brother is a private detective who is often looking for pets. The two get wrapped up in a murder case involving junior high school students and one of Mio’s customers holds the key to cracking the case…
Ukauka to Shuen 
うかうかと終焉 「Ukauka to Shuen」
Release Date: October 13th, 2023
Duration: 87 mins.
Director: Yushi Ota
Writer: Yushi Ota (Screenplay),
Starring: Shota Nishioka, Miyo Matsumoto, Yutaro Watanabe, Ryota Miura, Mizuki Nonaka,
Synopsis: This film is based on a stage play which won the 23rd Japan Playwrights Association New Playwrights Award. Yushi Ota rewrote the script and directed the film using his own alma mater, Kyoto University’s Yoshida Dormitory, as a motif. It looks like a nostalgia-infused tale where a young businessman finds an old photo of himself with some friends playing mahjong in a room in the dormitory. It was taken on the eve of the departure of some of his friends. These feelings are evoked.
Quruli no Eiga 
くるりのえいが 「Kurori no Eiga」
Release Date: October 13th, 2023
Duration: 101 mins.
Director: Taketoshi Sado
Writer: Yushi Ota (Screenplay),
Starring: Shigeru Kishida, Masashi Sato, Nobuyuki Mori – Quruli
Synopsis: The rock band Quruli was formed in 1996 by Shigeru Kishida, Masashi Sato, and Nobuyuki Mori while they were attending Ritsumeikan University and were part of the “Rock Commune” music circle. They are still running, albeit having had a change in line-up of members over time, and recently recorded an album in Izu in 2022 where the original members of the band showed up. This documentary shows the production process and features interviews with the band members, footage from when the original members were working together, and live footage of the band performing in Kyoto.
SOMEDAYS 
サムデイズ 「Kurori no Eiga」
Release Date: October 13th, 2023
Duration: 101 mins.
Director: Takeshi Some
Writer: Yoshiyuki Morita (Screenplay),
Starring: Mau Nishio, Yuhi, Tatsunori Tsujimoto, Takafumi Honda, Kento Hiramatsu,
Synopsis: Kaoru Matsudaira and her younger brother, Hayato, were left in an orphanage by their mother. When they left it, they spent their time looking for her. One day, they hear that the orphanage will close and so they return and are reunited with their friends.
Koji Shiraishi’s Never Send Me, Please 
白石晃士の決して送ってこないで下さい 「Shiraishi Koji no Kesshite Okuttekonai de Kudasai」
Release Date: October 13th, 2023
Duration: 79 mins.
Director: Koji Shiraishi
Writer: Koji Shiraishi (Screenplay),
Starring: Maiko Arikawa, Koji Shiraishi, Yuki Okita, Ayano Ogura, Shinobu Kuribayashu, Yaeko Kiyose,
Synopsis: Director Koji Shiraishi continues to investigate the paranormal. In this film, he receives a case about a young couple. There is footage of one of the couple, Yuki, disappearing in a building. When her boyfriend finds her, she has a black shadow swirling around her and she is holding a VHS tape.