Books Mar 12, 2022
Glimpses of postwar Hayama through a father's eyes
"Hayama 1952-1953 Charles Junkerman,” a book of rare photographs, preserves the everyday lives of the seaside town's citizens in vivid color.
Film Mar 11, 2022
‘Intimate Stranger’ is a psychological thriller for the pandemic age
Director Mayu Nakamura's background in documentary filmmaking played a part in making the feature, which explores the depths of desperation.
Film / Reviews Mar 10, 2022
'Wedding High’: Nuptial chaos delivers big laughs
The ensemble comedy about a wedding gone wrong has some hilarious moments and digs into the ups and downs of Japanese weddings.
Film / Reviews Mar 3, 2022
‘Intimate Stranger’: Asuka Kurosawa makes a triumphant return
The actress delivers a layered performance as a desperate yet calculating woman searching for her lost child in Mayu Nakamura’s psychological thriller.
Film / Reviews Feb 24, 2022
‘Love Nonetheless’: Sexy romp delivers solid laughs
Hideo Jojo's smart comedy attempts to revive the erotic subgenres of the 1970s with mindful updates for modern audiences.
Film Feb 24, 2022
Hiroshi Okuhara's ‘Hotel Iris’ is a house of mirrors
The director's film adaptation of Yoko Ogawa's novel, in which Masatoshi Nagase plays a dangerously seductive translator, blurs the line between fantasy and reality.
Film / Reviews Feb 17, 2022
‘Ribbon’: Non unmasks pandemic frustrations in her first feature
The former “Amachan” actor’s film was inspired by the frustration and anger of young people whose lives have come to a standstill because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Film / Reviews Feb 10, 2022
‘Just Remembering’: Bittersweet romance rings true
Daigo Matsui's romantic drama seems to draw inspiration from a segment from "Night on Earth," the 1991 cult classic by Jim Jarmusch and starring Winona Ryder.
Film / Reviews Feb 3, 2022
‘Popran’: Toilet humor with a moral message
Shinichiro Ueda’s zany comedy about the comeuppance of a man whose genitals fly the coop doesn’t quite match the energy of the director’s “One Cut of the Dead.”
Film Jan 28, 2022
Japanese films to look out for in 2022
Hollywood will see strong competition from domestic fare, including Makoto Shinkai's “Suzume no Tojimari” and Naomi Kawase's documentary on the Tokyo Olympics, at the box office this year.