Contemporary Japanese Cinema
During the month of January, Filmatique presents Contemporary Japanese Cinema, a collection of some of the most exciting Japanese films in recent years and decades.
Selected works include Maborosi, the directorial debut of celebrated Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Koreeda (Palme d'Or winner Shoplifters); a double feature from prolific director Kiyoshi Kurosawa, including his most recent masterpiece, Wife of a Spy; Village of Dreams, Yōichi Higashi's gentle portrait of youth; and Shin'ya Tsukamoto's Sitges-feted thriller, Vital.
//
Wife of a Spy, Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2020)
Wife of a Spy, Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Japan, 2020
Kobe, 1940. The outbreak of World War II looms on the horizon, and local merchant and amateur filmmaker Yusaku has a bad feeling. Following a trip to Manchuria, he becomes determined to expose events he witnessed and secretly filmed while there. Meanwhile, his wife Satoko receives a visit from her childhood friend, now a military policeman, who issues a warning. With nothing quite as it seems, Satoko is torn between her loyalty to her husband and the life they have built, and the country they call home.
Steeped in sumptuous cinematography and classical, understated storytelling, Wife of a Spy masterfully evokes the moral quandaries of one of the darkest chapters in Japanese history. The latest film from prolific filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Doppelganger) premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won a Silver Lion for Best Director. Wife of a Spy is a New York Times Critic's Pick.
Doppelganger, Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2003)
Doppelganger, Kiyoshi Kurosawa / Japan, 2003
Michio Hayasaki is stressed. His job at a medical instrument manufacturing company unfolds like a never ending series of setbacks, exacerbated by the relentless demands of his employer. Returning home from work one day, he is surprised to see a man waiting on his doorstep who looks exactly like him. Fearing he might be descending into madness, Michio Hayasaki consults his twin brother, who assures him there’s no need to worry—the man is simply his doppelganger. Amused, he invites the man inside.
Featuring startling divergent performances from Kōji Yakusho (playing the protagonist, the doppelganger, and his twin), Doppelganger is an entertaining black comedy from Japan.
Maborosi, Hirokazu Koreeda (1995)
Maborosi, Hirokazu Koreeda / Japan, 1995
Yumiko is a young mother, and now a widow. Following her husband's suicide, she remarries and moves with her infant son to a remote village on the Sea of Japan. Once there, she remains haunted by her life's many tragedies. As time moves, like the ocean current, Yumiko's wounds begin to heal—she rediscovers love, understanding, and a sense of peace.
Tranquil, melancholy, and elegantly steeped in natural light, Maborosi is one of the finest pieces of Japanese cinema ever made. The feature debut from Hirokazu Koreeda (Shoplifters) premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, where it won Best Cinematography, and Chicago, where it won Best Film.
Village of Dreams, Yōichi Higashi (1996)
Village of Dreams, Yōichi Higashi / Japan, 1996
Seizo and Yukihiko are identical twins living in a rural Japanese village. Though the year is 1948, the war seems distant, as the boys live out the halcyon days of youth—rolling through grass, catching fish in a brook, getting up to all manner of mischief in their third grade class. A burgeoning artistic talent blooms in both boys, alongside their latent yearnings, as time dilates and expands into an experience that seems everlasting.
Adapted from a memoir by Seizo Tashima, Village of Dreams is a gentle, rhythmic portrait of youth with flourishes of magical realism. Yōichi Higashi’s film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, where it won a Silver Bear for Outstanding Achievement.
Vital, Shin'ya Tsukamoto (2004)