I consider Lee Sang-il one of the best filmmakers working in the Japanese movie industry at the moment, with titles like “Villain” and “Rage” highlighting the fact in the most eloquent fashion. As such, that he had not shot another feature since the latter in 2016, came as a surprise. Thankfully, last year, we finally saw another work of his coming out, with “Wandering” not disappointing at all.
Wandering is screening as part of Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2023
9-year-old Sarasa spends her day in the park, having run away from her aunt’s house. On a rainy evening, 19-year-old student Fumi Saeki stumbles upon her, and seeing that she is soaking wet, takes her to his apartment. The two hit it off immediately, and end up living together for the next two months. The police, however, are searching for the girl, and when they finally get to her, Fumi is arrested for kidnapping,...
Wandering is screening as part of Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme 2023
9-year-old Sarasa spends her day in the park, having run away from her aunt’s house. On a rainy evening, 19-year-old student Fumi Saeki stumbles upon her, and seeing that she is soaking wet, takes her to his apartment. The two hit it off immediately, and end up living together for the next two months. The police, however, are searching for the girl, and when they finally get to her, Fumi is arrested for kidnapping,...
- 2/11/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
“A Life Turned Upside Down: My Dad’s an Alcoholic” casts a damning eye on the pernicious role alcohol plays in the working careers and social lives of Japanese men. Narrated by the innermost thoughts of a daughter during the 25 years she spends watching her father drink himself to death, With achingly honest things to say about misplaced female guilt, and uplifting messages about female strength, “A Life” deserves to be on the radar of streaming platforms looking for high quality, universally accessible foreign-language fare.
The source material is Mariko Kikuchi’s autobiographical online manga, the title of which translates literally as “My father, who becomes a monster when he’s drunk, causes me pain.” When the manga first appeared in April 2017, overwhelming demand caused the publisher’s server to crash. At the heart of Kikuchi’s story, and faithfully maintained in the screenplay by Katagiri (“Room Laundering”) and fellow male writer Ayumu Kyuma,...
The source material is Mariko Kikuchi’s autobiographical online manga, the title of which translates literally as “My father, who becomes a monster when he’s drunk, causes me pain.” When the manga first appeared in April 2017, overwhelming demand caused the publisher’s server to crash. At the heart of Kikuchi’s story, and faithfully maintained in the screenplay by Katagiri (“Room Laundering”) and fellow male writer Ayumu Kyuma,...
- 7/24/2020
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
It’s been something of a long wait for the latest release from “Dreams for Sale” director Miwa Nishikawa. Her fifth feature film, “The Long Excuse” is a considered look at grief, and continues where her last film left off, looking at the concept of self-deception and how people cope with times of crisis.
“The Long Excuse” screened at the New York Asian Film Festival
Sachio (Masahiro Motoki), a writer whose career has turned more to TV celebrity than literary genius, receives a haircut from his hairdresser wife. Slightly drunk, they have a discussion where he shows his annoyance at his status and how his name is that of a baseball legend. Leaving for a trip with her best friend Yuki (Keiko Horiuchi), Natsuko’s (Eri Fukatsu) bus soon crashes on its way through the mountains, killing both, while her husband has an affair with a younger woman.
Having grown cynical,...
“The Long Excuse” screened at the New York Asian Film Festival
Sachio (Masahiro Motoki), a writer whose career has turned more to TV celebrity than literary genius, receives a haircut from his hairdresser wife. Slightly drunk, they have a discussion where he shows his annoyance at his status and how his name is that of a baseball legend. Leaving for a trip with her best friend Yuki (Keiko Horiuchi), Natsuko’s (Eri Fukatsu) bus soon crashes on its way through the mountains, killing both, while her husband has an affair with a younger woman.
Having grown cynical,...
- 6/29/2019
- by Andrew Thayne
- AsianMoviePulse
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