Sound of the Mountain (Japan, 1954)

An ingratiating bride develops warm ties to her father-in-law while her cold husband blithely slights her for another woman.

In the same year that saw the release of Godzilla, the exact same cinematography crew from that film helped Mikio Naruse on Sound of the Mountain. Naruse, a major figure in Japans 'golden age of cinema' portrayed women in a much more central role and nuanced light than his contemporaries and is one of the first directors who challenged the gender norms of Japanese society in a time when barely anyone would have called themselves a feminist.

Sound of the Mountain is a strong character-driven story with Setsuko Hara in the lead, following her navigating through family ethics and seeing how fragile the bonds of relationships can be. 

Genre: Drama. 1h 35min.

Under the Open Sky (Japan, 2020)

A middle-aged former yakuza, Mikami, is released from prison after thirteen years where he was placed for murder. He is struggling to adapt to society and freedom, find a job and communicate normally, but he is also preoccupied by the quest for his mother from whom he was separated as a child. He finds allies in his search for his parent and a place in mainstream society, but the process is not seamless or smooth.

Directed by Miwa Nishikawa (Sway, The Long Excuse), Under the Open Sky looks at the life of a yakuza who's trying to re-enter society but finds himself ostracized and alone in a Japan that almost has left his mob syndicate to history. It's an interesting take on the yakuza genre, showing that when fighting the system you're bound to loose. Mikami is played by Koji Yakusho who gives the character great depth and makes you wish he finds his place somewhere in his new existence, even though Japanese society has deemed his chance already spent. 

Genre: Crime/Drama. 2h 6min.

The Medium (Thailand, 2021)

A horrifying story of a shaman's inheritance in the Isan region of Thailand. What could be possessing a family member might not be the Goddess they make it out to be.

The Medium will immediately grab any horror fans attention just by the names behind the film. Director Bangjong Pisanthanakun gave us the spooky Shutter (2004), and South Korean screen-writer Na Hong-jin made a huge splash in the industry with his fantastic The Wailing (2016). The Medium digs into possessions and has a documentary team follow a small village shaman in the midst of strange and disturbing events. 

While you'd be correct to expect nothing else than a milestone in Thai horror, given the credentials of the people involved, The Medium doesn't reach heights it should. The main possession that we're following feels like it could be a sub-story in the previously mentioned The Wailing which was much deeper. I thought the documentary hand-held camera style was unnecessary and when people start to die there's really no justification for trying to keep filming the action. That aside, the director captures some great amount of atmosphere and the setting of rural Thailand looks to be perfect for a story of this kind. 

I've read some people got terrified of this film, and while that's very far from my own experience, it's still worth a look if you want to see the latest in Thai horror. 

Genre: Horror. 2h 10min.

Blue (Japan, 2021)

Nobuto is a boxer who is not going to be a champion anytime soon. He works hard, trains, attends consistently and yet ends up amassing losses. In the same gym and training with Nobuto is Kazuki. The latter man looks destined for success. Moreover, he is engaged to Chika who was crushed on by Nobuto when they were children.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film centered around a couple of friends going through tough times together and seeing  their relationship twist and turn. A slight love triangle develops but remarkably doesn't make the film into some romantic sap-fest. It's just there and we're invested in the characters, played by actors who've become big stars in recent years. Ken'ichi Matsuyama (Norwegian Wood, Death Note) was a highlight for me as a likeable but interestingly flawed character in that he's lifted up as an authority figure in the gym but in reality he's quite timid and leaves a lot to be wished for in the boxing department. 

A film that doesn't try to overdo it with hidden meanings and life lessons, but portrays 3-4 characters small personal journeys. 

Genre: Drama/Sport. 1h 47min.

Our Love Story (South Korea, 2016)

Yoon-ju is a graduate student of fine arts and is working on her graduation exhibition. One day, while she is searching materials for her project, she runs into Ji-soo at a junk shop. Watching Ji-soo in an odd place, Yoon-ju finds herself drawn to her. After their initial encounter, Yoon-ju once again runs into Ji-soo at a convenience store, and the two eventually start dating. Never having enjoyed dating men, Yoon-ju finds Ji-soo fascinating and becomes completely infatuated with her.

Our Love Story portrays the journey of a relationship between two women and all the little bumps in the road that every love story has. It's very intimate, and the film feels like a window in which the viewer peeps into, watching private moments. I love that the film doesn't go near melodrama-territory, keeping it more real and grounded. 

Contrasting this show of great film making and understanding of the imperfection of a relationship is the fact that director Hyun-ju Lee retired from the business in the wake of being guilty of sexual assault against another woman. She was stripped of her awards and received a two-year jail sentence. 

Genre: Drama/Romance. 1h 39min.

Second Life (South Korea, 2018)

Seon-hee, a high school girl, starts a small lie to attract attention from her friends. But when the truth gets out, her friends start to leave her out and avoid her. To get back at Jeong-mi, who had been her closest friend, Seon-hee sets her up as a ring thief. Suffering greatly from rumors after the incident, Jeong-mi ends up committing suicide. Seon-hee flees Seoul from the shock of witnessing Jeong-mi's death to the countryside where no one can find her.

Second Life addresses bullying and exclusion among young students, and what a lonely young girl is willing to do to be a part of a group. It's a relative short film, but manages to tell the complete story of the devastating consequences of lies. The direction is respectful of the themes and characters of the film, never trying to bash you in the head with a melodramatic message. The young lead actress is great and makes it easy to sympathize with, even when making desperate decisions. 

Genre: Drama. 1h 11min.

Taipei Suicide Story (Taiwan, 2020)

A receptionist at a suicide hotel in Taipei, Taiwan forms a fleeting friendship over the course of one night with a guest who can't decide if she wants to live or die.

For its short running time, Taipei Suicide Story ambitiously tackles some difficult subjects. What makes it work is that it doesn't overdo it, but focuses more on the personal emotional depth of only two characters. In an environment where dozens of people take the most extreme action to end their pain, a young woman is hesitating. Slowly we're getting to know her more and more, but also knowing in the back of our head that the end of the night could spell the end of that friendship. 

A melancholic exercise in figuring out someone on the edge, but not without its subtle tenderness. 

Genre: Drama/Short. 45min.

Isao Takahata and His Tale of Princess Kaguya (Japan, 2014)

A documentary about the making of The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Isao Takahata's first feature film for 14 years.

This film is a treasure trove for fans of Studio Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata and his masterpiece The Tale of Princess Kaguya. Very similar to another Ghibli documentary; The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness (2013) in how we get to closely follow the production and inner thoughts of the creators while struggling to get the movie done. Takahata is candid and open to talk about pretty much everything concerning the film, and it's a privilege to walk through the doors of his animation studio. He speaks up about things he regretted doing in earlier films, and describes how the most non-exciting movements are the hardest to animate. 

One scene shows Takahata driving over to Hayao Miyazaki who's in the middle of making The Wind Rises (2013) and just happen to walk in when he's trying to figure out how fast he should portray the spinning of a vinyl record. Small moments like that makes the film really feel personal and while the production eventually starts to feel like a battle for Takahata, it becomes clear that he put his soul into this film he knew would be his last.

Genre: Documentary. 1h 25min.

Unforgiven (Japan, 2013)

Set in the late 1800s, after the fall of Shogunate, onetime assassin Jubee Kamata lives in seclusion on a small farm. But when the new government begins harassing the local populace, Jubee is forced to break the promise he made to his dead wife and take up the sword once more.

I came in to Unforgiven with a negative mindset, because the word 'remake' rarely means anything good these days. I was proven wrong. In the same way Kurosawa's Yojimbo got an American remake with A Fistful of Dollars (1964), director Sang-il Lee (Villain, Rage) decided to adapt Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven (1992) with a Japanese cast. I rarely see the point with remakes, but I can recognize good cinema when I see it. Lee's version is made with the utmost care and attention for authenticity, and thankfully far from being a cheap cash-in riding on a big name like Clint Eastwood.

Ken Watanabe plays a compelling character, who as a seasoned old veteran, must again pick up his weapons and do battle against an abusing regime. In the fact that the film is set in the Meiji period you kind of get the best of both worlds; a western and a samurai film. The action is dealt out in small amounts but instead of being the one thing you wait for like in other action movies, here it's more like extra delicious seasoning to an already fantastic stew. Accompanying the film's journey are some beautiful landscapes, and I'm totally fine with having the setting changed from your ordinary western scenery to the both snowy and lush hills of cold Hokkaido.

Unforgiven is great on its on terms, and even though Eastwood's film is the blueprint, Sang-il Lee had the ability to approach it from his own personal viewpoint and adjust it after a different culture.

Genre: Action/Crime/Drama. 2h 15min.

Angel's Egg (Japan, 1985)

A mysterious young girl wanders a desolate, otherworldly landscape, carrying a large egg.

Angels's Egg has some powerful names to back it up; director Mamoru Oshii who made the highly regarded Ghost in the Shell (1995 and also Yoshitaka Amano from Final Fantasy and Vampire Hunter D fame. The film can be quite hard to grasp at a first viewing, and it's clear that it isn't supposed to be fully explained nor resolved, but rather give you a glimpse into a surreal and fantastical other world. The bones from past civilizations scatter the cities, huge shadow fish swim through the streets and are being hunted by a mysterious army. The film is full of subtle world-building in a way that's very ambitious even compared to films in modern times. You're not given a bunch of answers, instead you're visiting an ancient city and wonder what bygone people once lived there. 

It's almost like a poem coming to life, and in the midst of it all, a girl is searching her way through the dark city with a protector following her. Protecting her, and keeping an eye on that white, giant egg of hers.

Genre: Animation/Fantasy. 1h 11 min.

Irezumi (Japan, 1966)

Shinsuke and Otsuya, his boss' daughter runs away to get married, but they are betrayed by the inn owner. Otsuya is sold to a brothel and Seikichi, a mysterious tattoo artist puts his masterpiece, a human-faced spider, on her back. She and her lover are then forced into a conspiracy-born nightmare, where they face the danger of becoming the very evil they seek to escape. With each new bloody incident, the spider's face seems to redden with ever-growing hunger.

Films with a female protagonist weren't really the norm in Japanese 60's cinema, so Outsuya feels like a fresh wind. The plot involving a blood-thirsty spider tattoo is also way more interesting than a Yakuza story would have been. The colors are incredibly lush, and they do wonders for the beautifully shot scenes. It's far from being action-packed, and more subtle with its characters motivated by pure revenge. 

Genre: Drama. 1h 26 min.

Howl from Beyond the Fog (Japan, 2019)

During the Meiji era, a blind girl named Takiri and a monster called Nebula fight against greedy developers who threaten to take over her family's land.

Howl from Beyond the Fog felt like the Loch Ness story filtered through a Japanese kaiju filter. In just a little over half an hour, Howl tells the story how a huge sea monster is siding with a young girl. Another thing, the cast are all played by puppets. It really fits the theme of the movie and it becomes entertaining on an another level. Director Daisuke Sato worked on the special effects for several Godzilla films and I'm guessing this was a dream project of his finally coming to life.  

Genre: Animation/Short/Fantasy. 35 min.

Violence Voyager (Japan, 2018)

Following an end-of-term school ceremony, the American boy Bobby decides to go with his friend Akkun into the mountains outside their village to a place perfect for a secret base. On the way they step into a mysterious amusement park. They have fun there, but are attacked and realize the park manager never intended for them to leave.

Violence Voyager is director Ujicha's follow-up to his amazingly strange The Burning Buddha Man (2013), and once again we're exposed to his twisted fantasy where the horrors come to life using tons and tons of unique paper-craft characters. It sounds silly, but the mature tone and the very thought out movements of the characters makes it a joy to watch. The story is part David Cronenberg, part Junji Ito; body horror, gore and the innocence of youth gets introduced to a dark world where there aren't any happy endings. 

The power of friendship is in focus, and while the film is surprisingly punishing towards its characters the strength in cooperation and and defeating evil together are what's in the film's message. A gem of demented, disgusting (and lovely) horror.

Genre: Animation/Horror. 1h 23 min.

Yakuza and the Family (Japan, 2020)

When Kenji Yamamoto's father died from using a stimulant drug his life fell into desperation. Kenji then joined a crime syndicate. There, he meets the gang's boss Hiroshi Shibasaki. Hiroshi reaches out to Kenji and they developed a relationship like father and son. As time passes, Kenji has his own family.

Japanese yakuza flicks are not the rarest find, so when a film is centered around the Japanese mob syndicate I can't help but compare it to a dozen of earlier greats in the genre. I'm very glad to say that Yakuza and the Family (a.k.a. The Family) gave me flashbacks to Kitano's Kids Return (1996), in how a young man gets drawn into the world of yakuza and how the passage of time affects them all. It doesn't ooze of original characters but it's well-shot, has some really bone-crunching fights and you get the sense that the director wanted to make a stand-out Yakuza film with a lot of heart.

Genre: Crime/Drama. 2h 16min