An Innocent Witch (Japan, 1965)

Oshima Ayako, a young woman in her teens, lives in a small, impoverished fishing village. Her father is too ill to work. As a result, her mother sells her to a nearby brothel. There she quickly is stripped of her innocence and illusions.

What would happen if you took The Exorcist and mashed it against Memoirs of a Geisha? I don't know, but a possibility is that An Innocent Witch would be the resulting baby. It's a grim and dark portrayal of a young woman's stolen youth and her new life in an abusive and cold existence. It nibbles on the presence of some sort of evil magic involving the deaths of Oshima's customers, but foremost this is a tragic insight into a shattered perception of what adult life could have been. 

Genre: Drama

Sword of Doom (Japan, 1966)

Ryunosuke is a sociopathic samurai without compassion or scruples. When he is scheduled for an exhibition match at his fencing school, the wife of his opponent begs Ryunosuke to throw the match, offering her own virtue in trade. Ryunosuke accepts her offer, but kills her husband in the match. Over time, Ryunosuke is pursued by the brother of the man he killed.

Tatsuya Nakadai (Harakiri, Yojimbo) stars in this dark samurai film in a role that's somewhat rare in this genre; a creepy, murderous  yet calm man who've lost all compassion for his fellow humans. Nakadai gives a composed portrayal of this psychopath but we still feel the raw intensity in him, and his large piercing eyes makes one hell of a first impression. Toshiro Mifune joins in on the action further into the film (in a beautiful show-off fight scene) but his Yojimbo co-star Nakadai  is the who steals the show. It all erupts in of the best sword fights of the jidaigeki genre.

It all ends abruptly, and the reason is that there was supposed to be two sequels but they were scrapped, but it all still amounts to a fantastic film nonetheless. I've also heard that the film studio pulled the plug because the sequel would be too violent, and that makes it much more frustrating. 

Genre: Action/Drama

Wrath of Silence (China, 2017)

Baomin is a miner who works far away from home because of some disputes he had with the townsfolk years ago, whilst his wife and son remain near the mountains running a small sheep farm. One day, Baomin learns that his son Lei hasn't come back from shepherding for two days. He goes back to find his son. His appearance back in town makes people anxious. Searching for his son, Baomin heads for the rough and dangerous mountains, but the resentment and distrust of the townsfolk leads them to turn a blind eye to the reality of a missing child, and the corruption and danger permeating their lives.

China continues to be a superpower when it comes to the slow-burning mystery drama genre, Ash is Purest White (2018) and Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018) being some of the most recent. Wrath of Silence gushes with a heavy mood and takes its time telling a story that's not in a hurry to get to all the violent parts, but more inclined to portray a desperate father's search for his son and how warped his morals can become in the hunt for the perpetrators. Not the ideal film for people with short attention spans but a treat for cineasts and lovers of thoughtful, beautiful cinematography. 

Genre: Crime/Drama/Mystery

Onibaba (Japan, 1964)

Two women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.

Director Kaneto Shindo made Onibaba a couple of years before his 1968 film Kuroneko, and while they certainly share a few plot points, they're very different overall. While motion picture in color were dominant, Shindo wanted to shoot the film in black and white in order for the essence of the story to reach the viewer. He studied under the legend Kenji Mizoguchi (Ugetsu), and worked as his assistant during the late 1930's, and wrote tons of scripts for a number of well-known directors. He later broke free from the Shochiku film studio and started his own company, Kindai Eiga Kyokai, which produced most of his films. With more creative freedom Shindo made his mark in cinema history, and based his new film on a bedtime Buddhist tale he heard from his mother. It also, coincidentally or not, reminds one of an ancient Japanese saying: "What I thought was a ghost was merely dried grass," referring to the susuki grasses. 

This is what Shindo said in an interview in 1972,

"Yes, the tall, swaying reeds are my symbol of the world, the society which surrounds people, In Kuroneko bushes are used for the same symbolic end. 〚...〛My eyes, or rather the the camera's eyes, is fixed to view the world from the lowest level of society, not from the top."

Onibaba tells a lot of its story with its awesome atmosphere, the reeds swaying in the wind and the thickets almost seem to hide something malicious and wether it's samurai thugs or a much more sinister truth, it's up to the viewer to find out. 

Alternative film poster.

Genre: Drama/Horror. 1h 43min.

Crosscurrent (China, 2016)

A young cargo ship captain named Gao Chun pilots his boat up the Yangtze River and ponders the recent death of his father. During the trip, he encounters numerous symbols representing China's past, present and future, including a mysterious woman who is present at every port along the way. 

Crosscurrent became one heck of a water divider (no pun intended) after its release, where one side praised the arthouse approach to a slow ride along the Yangtze river, and the other half didn't have the patience for what it wanted to show. I've read that this film was 10 years in the making, and while I don't know how much of that time was spent on shooting or writing, I'd say it was worth it. For me personally, Crosscurrent was an absolute shattering experience, and after some time I was swept away by Gao Chun's ambition to see the end of this seemingly never-ending, awe-inspiring river. 

To help portray the most breathtaking parts of China's nature and locales around the river, director Chao Yang had the help of Mark Lee Ping-bing who's responsible for the beautiful cinematography in Norwegian Wood (2010) and In the Mood for Love (2000), and it's obvious early on that the both lush nature and the eerie and empty ghost cities along the river are meant to be main characters of their own. The story can be seen as both minimalistic and hard to grasp with all the Buddhistic views on life and death, alongside the personal journey of a man dealing with the passing of his father while also bumping into a woman during his long voyage. It is all capped off with one of the darkest and most atmospheric cello-based soundtracks I've ever heard, where the orchestral strength reaches new heights with the help of melancholic, dark waves. This is a score worthy of a billion-dollar movie, but instead hides away in this rarely talked about film about a man going up the Yangtze river. An amazing film, which I'm sad to see being swept aside by other more accessible ones, but at least it's out there and showing what cinema can be at it finest moments, an unforgettable journey.

Genre: Drama

37 Seconds (Japan, 2019)

In 37 Seconds, 23-year-old comic book artist Yuma, physically disabled due to profound cerebral palsy and emotionally stunted by her well-meaning but overly protective mother, forges her own unusual path to sexual awakening and independence while at the same time discovering love and forgiveness.

37 Seconds is a film that really makes you feel for the main character and begs that everything goes her way, of course that can't always be the case but the struggles she goes through will also resonate with the viewer. The lead actress, Mei Kayama, was fantastic and the fact that she didn't fake her condition was a pivotal factor, I think. It's a film that easily could've been ruined by sappy melodrama and overacting by an actress trying to fake the disabled state of the character, instead we're given a film which much more easily connects with the viewer and can focus on telling a story to the fullest. 

Genre: Drama, 1h 55min

Mr. Long (Japan, 2017)

A Taiwanese hit-man goes Japan to kill a man. But nothing turns out in the way he expected. He finds himself in a dumpster and with neighbors' helps he gets his own stall where he cooks delicious noodles. But his past won't leave him alone.

Mr. Long explores the world around an assassin who failed a mission and must stay out of harms way.  There's a couple of bloody fights and scenes where the titular Mr. Long shows off his skills, but the story is much more focused on where he wants to steer his life and connecting with people in a way he previously never did. In these days where every film with an assassin is all about all-out action it's nice to see more of a character piece and a story about a killer who experiences a serious change of priorities. The kill list is gone, time to cook delicious meals. 

Genre: Crime/Drama

The Last Dance (Japan, 1993)

A successful Japanese movie director in his 60s becomes increasingly ill while working on his latest film. His family, friends, and doctor try to keep the secret of his terminal cancer from him, but it gradually becomes clear. Coming to terms with his own mortality is painful, and involves some major conflicts with his wife and the hospital staff. But having done so, he realizes he doesn't want to die in the hospital on a life support machine.

Director Juzo Itami is a master of satire and dark humor, his Tampopo (1985) and Minbo (1992) are fantastic and hilarious movies. The Last Dance is more of a look at how we react to the news that we are going to die, and outdated doctor's ethics rooted in old Japanese customs. Itami got the idea for the film during a long hospital stay where he was treated after being attacked and slashed by gangsters who were angry at his previous Yakuza films. Much more somber than his other films, but that's fine because you can tell Itami wants to tell a story dealing with heavier topics.

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Chaos (Japan, 2000)

A man gets involved in a kidnapping scheme with the wife of a wealthy businessman. She lets herself be tied up and confined in his house while he sends the ransom demand. When he returns home that night, however, he finds her laying dead on the floor. In a panic he buries her body deep in the woods and tries to return to his ordinary life. One day, he thinks he spots her walking down the street. Is his mind playing tricks on him, or has she somehow returned from the grave?

A couple of years after Hideo Nakata directed one of the most iconic horror films ever with Ringu (1998) he tried his hands at a thriller involving a kidnap scheme which gets way out of control. It doesn't have the same weight as his other horror films like Dark Water (2002), but it's still a good film from the time Nakata actually made good films. The dark plot and direction reminds me a bit of Kiyoshi Kurosawa, and while it's by no means as good as his Cure (1997) it still evokes some of those sinister undertones beneath a stylish thriller. 

Genre: Crime/Mystery/Thriller

An Elephant Sitting Still (China, 2018)

In the northern Chinese city of Manzhouli, they say there is an elephant that simply sits and ignores the world. Manzhouli becomes an obsession for the protagonists of this film, a longed-for escape from the downward spiral in which they find themselves. Among them is schoolboy Bu, on the run after pushing Shuai down the stairs, who was bullying him previously. Bu's classmate Ling has run away from her mother and fallen for the charms of her teacher. Shuai's older brother Cheng feels responsible for the suicide of a friend. And finally there's Mr. Wang, a sprightly pensioner whose son wants to offload him onto a home.

An Elephant Sitting Still is one of the most moving  and memorable film experiences I've had in a long time. It manages to say so much about human nature, and accomplishes to flesh out the extremely exposed and vulnerable characters we get to follow through one whole day. There's a big chance the 4-hour running time will scare people away, I know I certainly saw the film way later than I could've, but it's wild how I actually can't think of anything they should have left on the cutting room floor. Every scene builds up towards a goal and every character are a thread which the viewer will follow until their inevitable convergence. Together with the carefully planned, long continuous shots there's a beautiful and melancholic post-rock inspired soundtrack so the themes of guilt, bullying and alienation are in a happy marriage with cold, melodic guitars and atmospheric ambience.  

The bleak and oppressive atmosphere hangs over the film like grey, never moving, ever-present rain clouds. The saddest thing though, is the fact that the films director Bo Hu ended his life during the post-production at age 29, making Elephant his first and last feature-length film. The testament to his skill and attention to detail shines in every scene, and how he made all the characters truly come alive is awe-inspiring. A masterpiece from a visual artist who left us all too soon.

Genre: Drama

Only Yesterday (Japan, 1991)

A twenty-seven-year-old office worker travels to the countryside while reminiscing about her childhood in Tokyo.

Only Yesterday is probably the most mature film animation giant Studio Ghibli has ever done, far away from the usual fantasy elements that often marks their other creations. Here, we're acquainted with 27-year old Taeko who, while taking a job out in the sticks, thinks back to her early days in the city. Made by Isao Takahata (Grave of the Fireflies), Only Yesterday shows an incredible appreciation for nature and the life outside our stressful bubble of hectic social life and work. Studio Ghibli takes something as ordinary as slicing up a pineapple and makes it a joy to watch because it's so carefully and meticulously animated. Takahata took 17 members of his staff on a research trip to a rural area in Yamagata prefecture similar to the place where many of the film's present-day (1982) scenes are set. There the staff consulted with a farmer named Inoue, who taught them about harvesting safflowers, as the film's heroine, Taeko, does in the narrative. The staff videotaped their journey so that they would be able to re-create accurately in animation both the fields of safflowers and the natural beauty of the region in general.

The cinematography is a love letter to the films of Yasujiro Ozu (Tokyo Story) with the "camera" set very low and rarely moving. Where Hayao Miyazaki makes films about the often fantastical and made-up worlds, Takahata usually focuses on the character driven stories and the deeply personal journeys that leaves a bittersweet taste with the viewers. The juxtaposition of Taeko's younger and older self naturally portrays the dreams we give up, the wishes never fulfilled but also how we're different people from when we were young. 

Genre: Drama/Romance

Book Review: WKW - The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai

The long-awaited retrospective from the internationally renowned film director celebrated for his visually lush and atmospheric films. Wong Kar Wai is known for his romantic and stylish films that explore—in saturated, cinematic scenes—themes of love, longing, and the burden of memory. His style reveals a fascination with mood and texture, and a sense of place figures prominently. In this volume, the first on his entire body of work, Wong Kar Wai and writer John Powers explore Wong’s complete oeuvre in the locations of some of his most famous scenes.

Through six conversations we follow WKW through the jungle of his movies and get to know everything from how he creates the atmosphere of the most intense scenes, to how he struggled when some of his films were poorly received. Between chapters where past films and childhood memories are discussed the pages are covered with gorgeous photos from all his movies and a ton of behind-the-scenes photos. To me, WKW has always seemed like a more mysterious director or at least more secretive than other directors which you hear news from all the time, so the book definitely filled a void of things I wondered about ever since I first began watching his movies. A hearty recommendation to any fan of his films, and whether you're reading about juicy actor backstories from In the Mood for Love (2000) or how he were a bit regretful regarding the lead roles in Fallen Angels (1995), you're bound to be fascinated by one of the greatest minds in the history of cinema.