Not all people deserve forgiveness and not all women need love to thrive in Aya Igashi’s unconventional coming-of-age drama that turns standard genre tropes on their heads. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/07/17/film/love-doesnt-matter-to-me/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #ayaigashi #saraminami#fumikababa
Style overpowers substance in Keishi Kondo’s horror film, which dives deep into dream logic and dread, but its emotional detachment leaves a chill that’s more cold than scary. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/07/17/film/new-religion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #keishikondo #jhorror #kahoseto #ryuseigunsaionji #satoshioka
The Japan Foundation will begin distributing Japanese movies online for free in all 54 countries of the African continent on Tuesday. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/07/13/japan/japan-foundation-movies-africa/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #japanfoundation #japanesefilm
What starts as a questionable premise ends up surprisingly human, thanks to director Toshiya Kominami’s quirky tone and Yuka Kouri’s turn as the story's unwitting object of desire. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/07/11/young-and-fine/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #japanesefilm #taisukeniihara #toshiyakominami #yukakouri #yukiaraho
Ultraviolent but punctuated by quiet character moments, the first chapter of Yasuomi Umetsu's new "Virgin Punk" project delivers old-school action and animation in a cyberpunk future. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/07/04/film/virgin-punk-clockwork-girl/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #yasuomiumetsu #sakimiyashita
The face on the wanted poster had a story to tell. Banmei Takahashi's drama reveals the humanity of a man on the run for decades. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/07/03/film/i-am-kirishima/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #satoshikirishima #katsuyamaiguma #banmeitakahashi
How do you capture a feeling you can’t put into words? Director Shinya Tamada adapts "On Summer Sand" for film by filling the silences between scenes with heartbreak and slow healing. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/07/01/film/shinya-tamada-on-summer-sand/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #shinyatamada #joeodagiri
Chie Hayakawa’s luminous feature is as powerful and thoughtful as its young lead, newcomer Yui Suzuki. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/06/26/film/renoir/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm#chiehayakawa #yuisuzuki #hikariishida #cannesfilmfestival #cannes
Inspired by a real-life incident, Takashi Miike's legal drama ultimately decides that it's easier just to tell one side of the story. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/06/25/film/sham/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #goayano#takashimiike