Samurai Spy (Japan, 1965)

The legendary samurai Sasuke Sarutobi tracks the spy Nojiri, while a mysterious figure named Sakon leads a band of men on their own quest for the wily Nojiri. Soon no one knows just who is who and what side anyone is on.

For everyone who craves shinobi action, Masahiro Shinoda (Double Suicide) got you covered. Samurai Spy delivers a balanced diet of political intrigue, samurai action, assassin tactics and great cinematography. I'm aware that the infinite ocean of samurai cinema might be a bit intimidating in its seemingly never-ending supply of films, but Samurai Spy has that little extra that makes it worthwhile for lovers of chanbara movies. 

Genre: Action/Drama

The Limit of Sleeping Beauty (Japan, 2017)

Aki Oria came to Tokyo ten years ago to become an actress. She is now 29-years-old and works as a magician's assistant. She has no passion for her work or goals to live for. She pretends to be hypnotized on stage. This leads to a blurred line between reality and illusion. Soon, her mental state drifts between the two mental states.

The Limit of Sleeping Beauty is the fruit of a new wave of directors in Japan, made by Ken Ninomiya who only started to direct a few years ago. His visual language is immediately showing off with explosive colors and a rarely stationary camera (sort of like the direct opposite of Ozu), and it all marriages perfectly with a dream-like narrative that would make Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Paprika) proud. 

This film is devoid of aesthetic ugliness, everyone's gorgeous and they all exist in this candy colored fantasy, and while not exactly without its share of human malevolence, you can't help but wanting to look for the silver lining together with Aki. Also, the theme song of the film is an absolute banger.    

Genre: Drama