The world of Japanese cinema is about to descend on Sydney thanks to the 20th edition of the Japanese Film Festival.
The program is a diverse one, spanning drama and action to romance and anime. Japanese film is also a favourite of cult cinephiles around the globe, and with such a reputation in mind, we asked JFF program coordinator Margarett Cortez to select her seven next generation cult favourites of the 2016 lineup.
The Sun
The Sun is a beautifully composed, quietly riveting film about survival and the status quo. We don’t see very many recent Japanese films tackle social issues the way they did in earlier Japanese cinema (’50s – ’70s). The Sun reminds me of these earlier films. The post-apocalyptic world it paints is fresh and different from Hollywood counterparts – instead of a deserted city or an abundance of metal and neon lights, theirs is set within the lush unkempt vegetation of the mountainside.
Hime-Anole
Hime-Anole starts off as a pleasant rom-com of sorts. But the tone shifts halfway through and that’s when insanity ensues. There’s blood, violence, sex, and all these other things that mainstream Japanese cinema tends to shy away from. If you’re a fan of twisted movies and plot lines, then you’ll enjoy this.
Destruction Babies
Destruction Babies is an indie-style grunge flick that’s easy to misunderstand. It’s ultra-violent and raw – we’re talking fist fights and street brawls, not blazing guns. The premise of the film doesn’t make sense at first glance; it’s like a dark and serious version of GTA gone (more) wrong. But if you let the enigmatic characters pull you in and drag you below the surface you’ll find that the film tells us a few things about society, mass hysteria and media frenzy.
Night’s Tightrope
Female director Yukiko Mishima uses haunting, poetic visuals to paint a dark and intense portrait of youths at the cusp of depression. But instead of being actually depressing, the film actually manages to be playful, albeit sinister at times. Plus points for the cool soundtrack by Japanese rock duo Glim Spanky.
HK2: The Abnormal Crisis
It doesn’t get any more ridiculous than a university student who fights crime with the help of a pervy alter ego whom he summons by putting a pair of knickers over his face. HK2: The Abnormal Crisis ticks all the boxes that make a good superhero comedy film, with the advantage of being written by Japanese scriptwriters. Even though the protagonist is dressed like Borat, it’s not as cringeworthy as you may think. Everything’s so absurd it’s just funny.
Seto & Utsumi
Seto & Utsumi is the most interesting film you’ll see about nothing in particular. It’s straightforward: two high school kids talking about this and that for 75 minutes straight. If Richard Linklater (mumblecore) and Hirokazu Kore-eda (slice of life) had a baby, it would be this film.
Pink and Gray
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It isn’t exactly something that we’ve seen in Japanese cinema so it’s hard to describe, but it’s a film that revolves around fame, relationships and someone’s death. It’s like Yukihiko Tsutsumi’s 2LDK crossed with Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, injected with a bit of testosterone. Pink And Gray is by arthouse favourite Isao Yukisada (probably best known for Parade and Go). Cool cinematography, mysterious characters and a really unpredictable plot.
Japanese Film Festival 2016 runsThursday November 17 – Sunday November 27 at Event Cinemas George Street and Art Gallery of New South Wales.
