Japan
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The debut feature from animation house Studio Ponoc adapts Mary Stewart’s novel The Little Broomstick, in which a young girl discovers a magical flower that powers a seemingly ordinary broomstick,… Read More
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Prolific Japanese filmmaker Yuya Ishii wrestles the award-winning poetry of Tahi Saihate to the big screen in Tokyo Night Sky is Always the Densest Shade of Blue, an adolescent love… Read More
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A pair of young lovers find themselves caught at the crossroads of two intersecting realities in the disarming romantic fantasy My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday, adapted by Takahiro Miki ( Blue… Read More
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Japanese cinema’s enduring love affair with food continues as a mother’s skills in the kitchen keep her family together following her husband’s death. Read More
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A killer becomes a media sensation after publishing a book about his heinous crimes in this preposterous film by Yu Irie. Not to be confused with Won Shin-yeon’s recent Memoir… Read More
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Often regarded as the modern-day Yasujiro Ozu for his poignant family dramas such as Still Walking (2008) and Like Father, Like Son (2013), Hirokazu Koreeda takes a rare stride into… Read More
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Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase explores the emotional power of sight and imagery in Radiance, a romance between a young writer and a middle-aged photographer whose sight is failing him. While… Read More
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Already regarded as one of the best places to watch a wide variety of new Asian cinema releases, Hong Kong nevertheless shines a spotlight on far-flung corners of the region… Read More
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Adapted from a novel by the bestselling author Keigo Higashino, The Miracles of the Namiya General Store takes a nostalgic dive into Japan’s not-so-distant past, as three adolescents discover a… Read More
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John Woo’s first contemporary action film produced in Asia for more than 20 years falls woefully short of the director’s best work. Shot entirely in Japan with a mostly local… Read More
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A scathing satire on the modern family and the lack of connection between generations, writer-director Shinobu Yaguchi’s Survival Family also speculates humorously about our technological dependency and inability to fend… Read More
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When a desperate journalist reopens an unsolved murder case in Gukoroku – Traces of Sin, he exposes a violent world of cutthroat elitism behind the smiling facade of Japanese society.… Read More
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Tokyo Ghoul is an ambitious adaptation of Sui Ishida’s dark fantasy manga by first-time filmmaker Kentaro Hagiwara. It includes a number of intriguing elements from vampire lore and superhero mythology,… Read More
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Samurai warriors and alien invaders exist side-by-side on the streets of Edo period Japan in Yuichi Fukuda’s big-screen adaptation of Hideaki Sorachi’s bestselling manga. While this chaotic mash-up of sci-fi… Read More
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Adapted from Morio Kita’s beloved children’s book of the same name by La La La at Rock Bottom director Nobuhiro Yamashita, My Uncle is a typically heart-warming affair, anchored by… Read More
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Anchored by an energetic central performance from 18-year-old Suzu Hirose, Let’s Go, Jets! repackages the well-worn sports drama into an engaging coming-of-age tale about competitive cheerleading at a remote Japanese… Read More
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Few pastimes are less fruitful than watching someone else play a video game, although this full-length feature does its utmost to prove otherwise. Unlike the seemingly endless stream of Milla… Read More
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Following the success of last year’s What a Wonderful Family!, veteran Japanese filmmaker Yoji Yamada reunites the Hirata clan for a second round of family misfortunes. Read my review Read More
