As I mentioned before, the strength and overall power of Japanese cinema could be highlighted just by showing the number of country-specific festivals around the world, all of which seem to find a plethora of titles of quality from the country to screen every year. The fact becomes even more evident with ones the size of Japan Cuts, whose selection, once more, was truly excellent.
Among the titles featuring, which have not reviewed before, “Nezumikozo Jirokichi” by Rintaro, Blue Period by Kentaro Hagiwara, which highlighted the continuous progress of anime/manga adaptations, and the “The Box Man” which Gakuryu Ishii finally managed to get done after years of efforts, are the ones who stood out. Take a lot at our full coverage of Japan Cuts 2024.
1. Film Review: Retake (2024) by Kota Nakano
The second part however, is where the meta level comes to the fore. Kota Nakano implements recuts, retakes of the same scenes, back and forths in time as if the story is taking place within an editing room, a kind of Rashomon effect and a number of other tricks, which actually become parts of the narrative, in the most organic way. The part after the ending credits cements this approach while the fact that the story of the characters also progresses in parallel emerges as another sample of Nakano’s intelligence. The context of time, and living in the moment, again as part of both life and filmmaking, conclude the rather rich context here. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
2. Film Review: Following the Sound (2023) by Kiyoshi Sugita
An Ogawa’s performance as Haru provides the other anchor for the drama. She has an extraordinary ability of teetering just on the edge of tears, not quite welling up, but visibly battling with herself to keep her composure. Her relationship with Yuko Nakamura’s Yukiko has as much unease as it does benevolence and patience, providing a unique tension in a friendship that feels almost cosmic in its coincidental origins. The two supply the film with its finest moments, whether that be the beautiful process of cooking a meal for one another or a tender embrace when the other needs it most. (Simon Ramshaw)
3. Film Review: Cha-Cha (2024) by Mai Sakai
Young and yet rather prolific director and writer Mai Sakai conjures up an urban tale about loneliness and human connections where Cha-Cha functions as a sort of whimsical “deus ex machina”. Sakai seems to suggest that we need to get to the deep end of our desires and compulsions to be able to rise and live with them. To do so, she uses the formula of a classic and cute rom com but with a dark and unexpected twist and a cathartic character like the free-spirited and nonconformist Cha-Cha. The narration is seamlessly split in multiple points of view; not really in a “Rashomon” kind of way, but with a first-person voice-over that fluctuates from one character to the other, according with the focus of the action. Moreover, in a sweet move that stems from that Japanese animism (Shinto) that still continues to influence Japanese culture and spirituality today, at the end a talkative pole and a perky letterbox have the honor of concluding this spirited fairy-tale. (Adriana Rosati)
4. Interview: Shinya Tsukamoto and Mirai Moriyama
5. Short Film Review: Nezumikozo Jirokichi (2024) by Rintaro
With only three surviving works and volumes of screenplays, reimagining a lost silent movie like “Nezumikozo Jirokichi” is not an easy task to take on. This short project showcases the dedication of Yamanaka’s admirers to reintroduce the great director to a new audience, honoring his legacy and ensuring his influence endures. (Epoy Deyto)
6. Film Review: Shin Godzilla: ORTHOchromatic (2023) by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi
So how does “Shin Godzilla” fare in black and white? Truthfully, feelings are conflicted here. On the one hand, it gives the movie a Showa era vibe on top of the preexisting inclusion of sound effects from that period and recycled music tracks composed by Akira Ifukube. It certainly, at times, channels the feeling of the original “Godzilla” by Ishiro Honda and Kihachi Okamoto’s “Japan’s Longest Day,” which both served as major influences during this movie’s production. Yet, beyond that novelty, this release doesn’t add anything new besides that mileage, which will vary depending on the viewer. (Sean Barry)
7. Documentary Review: Kadono Eiko’s Colorful Life: Finding the Magic Within (2023) by Marina Miyagawa
When watching “Kadono Eiko’s Colorful Life: Finding the Magic Within” one realises there is a lot we can learn from this eternally young 88-year-old who manages to contribute to the world in a meaningful way while at the same time hanging on to her childlike and endearing way of engaging with the world. (Nancy Fornoville)
8. Anime Review: Look Back (2024) by Kiyotaka Oshiyama
Granted, the impact of the movie would probably be bigger if it ended in the first part, but the quality of the art here and the comments deriving from the story definitely compensate, in an overall excellent title. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
9. Documentary Review: SHUNGA: The Lost Japanese Erotica (2023) by Junko Hirata
“SHUNGA: The Lost Japanese Erotica” is a fascinating, if a little too long documentary about the art of Japanese erotic art. Junko Hirata employs an approach which is both informative and successful in making her viewer understand the enjoyment, romance and context of its subject. (Rouven Linnarz)
10. Film Review: Blue Period (2024) by Kentaro Hagiwara
The visuals of “Blue Period” are equally excellent. The depiction of the various paintings and artworks is a treat to watch, additionally because the students are presented in having completely different approaches in their art. Particularly the various ‘blues’ and ‘greens’ will definitely stay on mind of any viewer. Although it rushes in moments here and there, in an effort to include as much of the original as possible, “Blue Period” manages to be something more than a great adaptation, an actual great movie. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
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