Welcome to the second of three trailer posts
You can find the first part here and the third part follows tomorrow.
I’ll start publishing reviews connected to the Chicago International Film Festival next week. Meanwhile, I’m going to be indulging in B&W horror movies and noirs in the run-up to Christmas (so excited to have time off to spend with food and family!).
What are the new Japanese films in this part?
Migi e Itteshimatta Hito 
右へいってしまった人 「Migi e Itteshimatta Hito」
Release Date: December 01st, 2023
Duration: 103 mins.
Director: Akinori Dono
Writer: Akinori Dono (Screenplay),
Starring: Kento Hiramatsu, Kaho Takada, Daiki Sugiura, Miyu Sawaii, Kokoro Okuda,
Synopsis: A 40-year-old man named Takasuke dreams that he is 28 years old again but did not meet his wife Mizuho on a day out with friends at a beach. This dream seems to become his new reality, almost as if he wandered into a parallel world and he soon realises how much he loves his original-life wife.
Grief Care no Jidai ni 
グリーフケアの時代に 「Guri-fu Kea no Jidai ni」
Release Date: December 01st, 2023
Duration: 78 mins.
Director: Yutaka Nakamura
Writer: N/A
Starring: Yuko Mitsui, Toshiro Ide, Taio Kaneta, Susumu Shimazono, Yumiko Hongo, Tsunekazu Sakuma,
Synopsis: This documentary is about “grief care” and explores those who have received and those who provide emotional care following the death of someone and why it is important. Interviewees includes parents who have lost children to murder and illness, a woman who saw her husband’s suicide, and a Buddhist priest who cares for those who experienced loss in the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Adamiani Inori no Tani 
アダミアニ 祈りの谷 「Adamiani Inori no Tani」
Release Date: December 01st, 2023
Duration: 120 mins.
Director: Hirotoshi Takeoka
Writer: N/A
Starring: N/A
Synopsis: A documentary shot over a three-year period that follows the people of the Chechen-Georgian “Kist” community. They live in the mountainous Pankisi Valley of East Georgia and suffered through conflict due to the Chechen War.
Ari no mama de Susume 
在りのままで進め 「Ari no mama de Susume」
Release Date: December 01st, 2023
Duration: 92 mins.
Director: Yurugu Matsumoto
Writer: Yoshika Kuwae (Screenplay), Misaki Mizumura (Original Story),
Starring: Misaki Mizumura, Satomi Yagihashi, Remi Tyon, Eita Kinoshita, Shintaro Yuya,
Misaki Mizumura originally comes from Kansai but moved to Tokyo to make films. After a short, she has conceived this feature based on her own experiences.
Synopsis: Kyoka, a mother and aspiring actress. Mako, a woman who has pursued a career in acting rather than start a family, and Mina, an assistant director struggling to get her projects off the ground in a male-dominated industry, meet and work together to move forward with their careers and lives.
Hikaru Kotei 
光る校庭 「Hikaru Kotei」
Release Date: December 01st, 2023
Duration: 72 mins.
Director: Kazushi Higa
Writer: Kazushi Higa (Screenplay),
Starring: Zenta Umegaki, Yuya Sasaki, Yumi Adachi, Ken Mitsuishi, Yuu Okazaki,
Synopsis: Following the supposed death of his father, a boy named Tomoya has moved from Tokyo to his mother’s hometown in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture with his elder sister. Their, he makes friends with classmate Tsubasa Nishikawa, who is suffering from a serious illness and finds that attention he receives from other difficult to handle. The friendship between the two boys helps them navigate issues around mortality.
Yotsu no Detarame to Yuurei ni Tsuite 
4つの出鱈目と幽霊について 「Yotsu no Detarame to Yuurei ni Tsuite」
Release Date: December 01st, 2023
Duration: 105 mins.
Director: Keita Yamashina
Writer: Keita Yamashina, Ippei Miyake (Screenplay),
Starring: An Ogawa, Keita Yamashina, Kirara Inori, Saho Ito, Masayuki Yoshida, Mijika Nagai,
Synopsis: Actor-turned-director Keita Yamashina (Body Remember, Stay, My Lovely Days) has created an omnibus film featuring stories involving people in everyday situations meeting ghosts. Their number includes a novelist who wanders around a suburban town when he should be writing, two sisters who journey into a forest to see their father’s ghost, a young man who stays with the partner of his late brother and a depicts a job-hunting woman with an existential crisis who receives some suggestions from a blind traveller.