5 Japanese Movies I Recommend

Movies! If truth be told, I've never considered myself to be that much of a movie buff, but I feel like a good movie sticks to you, and either keeps you thinking about it for a few days or gives you perspective on something else in your life. And, though I like Hollywood moves just as much as any other guy, Japanese cinema is full of brooding writers and directors who dedicate their lives into putting out deep, well-thought movies. I'm not saying my personal list of favorite Japanese movies all fit into that description, but each of these movies renewed my interest in Japan's cinema in one way or another, so I thought I'd spread the word.


TOKYO SONATA - 2009 - Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Tokyo Sonata is, in broad strokes, the story of a middle-class family where each individual family member is disconnected from one another and turns to secrecy rather to than to each other. Though Kiyoshi Kurosawa is most often cited as a director of Japanese horror movies (amongst which are the excellent Cure and Kairo, which I've spoken of on this blog previously,) Tokyo Sonata is his stab at the drama genre. The themes, though, are similar to those of his previous works, and yet the familiarity of the domestic life portrayed in Tokyo Sonata sort of makes it all the more horrifying in a way. I'll never forget the scene in which the father, who lost his job and yet keeps it a secret from his wife and kids, waits in line for free food, encounters a friend of his who's in the exact same situation, and both men hide the truth everyone from one another, saying they're just there to try the food out. It's funny and yet so messed up, but it says a lot about life in Tokyo and the masks people put on just to keep face. It's as backwards as it sounds.


TO LIVE (Ikiru) - 1956 - Akira Kurosawa

Ikiru isn't the type of movie you'd watch for entertainment so much as for enlightenment. Although Akira Kurosawa's known for his other films, including the amazing Seven Samurai, Ikiru will always remain, to me at least, his greatest work of art. Story-wise, it simply follows that of an old man who realizes he's wasted most of his life away doing nothing but working, and his quest to attach some meaning to the time he has left before he passes away. Ikiru doesn't have to try to be moving to reach in and to touch something profound within the viewer. The film had me thinking, only a little at first, about the importance of living for myself versus fulfilling society's expectations of me, but I definitely feel like it eventually contributed in my decision to come to Japan and build my own collection of memories.



GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (hotaru no haka) - 1988 - Isao Takahata

The one movie made by Studio Ghibli I chose to put on this list is neither directed by Hayao Miyazaki nor an epic fantasy, as much as I love those, too. Grave of the Fireflies is a movie about the tragic chain of events that befall two children who lose their parents to the second World War, thus putting the focus on a side we rarely get to see - the home front. As expected of Studio Ghibli, the movie is beautifully animated, and it's difficult not to get attached to the characters, which makes the sadness of the movie that much more effective. Don't expect this one to fall into any of the conventions of modern story-telling. It's as real as a drama about World War II can be, if you look past the thin veil of animation.




DEPARTURES (okuribito) - 2008 - Yojiro Takita

An Academy Award winner, and it's easy to see why. Okuribito is flawless in its execution, when it comes to acting, music, and the sheer compelling of its drama. The plot revolves around a musician who loses his job and enters a whole different line of work - that of a traditional Japanese ritual mortician. Though his change in career is met with the disdain of all those around him, he eventually becomes learns to love and cherish the importance of his duties - and even find in it the art that went missing in his life. If anything, Okuribito's strongest point is the lead actor, Masahiro Motoki, and his portrayal of the very silent protagonist, who, through means other than words, conveys emotion to the viewer so well. This is pretty much the only movie on this list that I listed for no other reason than for being an overall excellent movie, and plainly rewarding to watch.


ICHI THE KILLER (koroshiya 1) - 2001 - Takashi Miike

By far the most controversial movie on my list, and the one most people would disagree with. Ichi the Killer, though, is whirlwind of chaos, confusion and gore, and it's weaved by a director who  could not care less about what viewer or reviewer may think of the movie, but made the film for the simple love of movie-making. Every character in Ichi the Killer is more despicable than the last - with the two front runners being the ultimate sadistic serial killer and the man seeking him - the ultimate masochistic Yakuza boss. With such a colorful cast of characters, it's hard to make a bland movie, and Ichi the Killer, at the very list, will succeed in blind-siding the viewer at several occasions. Whether the plot makes sense at all is something you'll want to debate after seeing the film, but really, it could just be that director Takashi Miike just wanted to flip everyone off with this one. If you're a Tarantino fan at all, and don't mind the excess gore, you'll probably find yourself loving this one.