Japanese movies 2010's * Watchlist
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- DirectorTetsuya NakashimaStarsTakako MatsuYoshino KimuraMasaki OkadaA psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.Confessions
- DirectorYôji YamadaStarsSayuri YoshinagaTsurube ShôfukuteiYû AoiGinko seems to be living the good life: She's the respectable owner of a neighborhood drug store in Tokyo, and her daughter Koharu is about to get married to a doctor. However, Koharu's wedding day also brings homes Ginko's younger brother Tetsuro, a failed actor and a hard drinker who shows up causing trouble. Having covered for him all her life, Ginko is ready to disown her burdensome younger brother, but some things are easier said than done...About Her Brother
- DirectorKaneto ShindôStarsEtsushi ToyokawaShinobu ÔtakeNaomasa MusakaToward the end of World War II, middle-aged soldier Keita is entrusted with a postcard from a comrade who is sure he will die in battle. After the war ends, Keita visits his comrade's wife Yuko and bears witness to the tragic life she has led. This year's Oscar entry from Japan finds SHINDO in top form and his 49th and reportedly last film as fresh and poignant as ever.Postcard
- DirectorSion SonoStarsMitsuru FukikoshiDendenAsuka KurosawaThe lives of a bored suburban couple are changed forever when a seemingly nice old man gives their daughter a job at his fish store, and soon his gruesome hobbies are brought to light.Cold Fish
- DirectorKôji WakamatsuStarsShinobu TerajimaShima ÔnishiKen YoshizawaThe story of a village woman given the grueling task of looking after (and fulfilling the sexual needs of) her quadruple amputee husband, a Japanese soldier in the Second Sino-Japanese War who has been decreed a "War God" by the Emperor.Caterpillar
- DirectorMasahiro KobayashiStarsTatsuya NakadaiEri TokunagaHideji ÔtakiHaru's Journey provides an insider's look at Japanese culture through its themes of acceptance, endurance and familial commitment. It tells the story of elderly fisherman Tadao and his granddaughter Haru, who live in a small fishing village in Hokkaido. When Haru's job disappears, she wants to take her stubborn grandfather to live in Tokyo where she will find more opportunities. But Tadao refuses to go to the capital, sparking a search for another family member who will share his life. Thus begins a road movie driven by family dynamics, as the two set out for Japan's main island, Honshu, to see if one of Tadao's siblings will look after him. First stop is his even more cantankerous older brother, Shiego, and their testy exchange reveals there's more to Tadao's selfishness than just old age. By contrast, selfless Haru takes on responsibility for the pair's dwindling finances so their pilgrimage can continue...Haru's Journey
- DirectorKôji FukadaStarsKenji YamauchiKiki SuginoKanji FurutachiThe film follows the follies that ensue when a man and his wife shack up with a family that owns a printing press in their building, the husband takes it over, and the couple begin inviting a motley crew of friends.Hospitalité
- DirectorTakashi MiikeStarsKoji YakushoTakayuki YamadaYûsuke IseyaA group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.13 Assassins
- DirectorTakeshi KitanoStarsTakeshi KitanoKippei ShînaRyô KaseThe boss of a major crime syndicate orders his lieutenant to bring a rogue gang of drug traffickers in line, a job that gets passed on to his long-suffering subordinate.Outrage
- DirectorSang-il LeeStarsEri FukatsuSatoshi TsumabukiDendenA young woman's murder provokes reflection on the ugliness and villainy of modern society.Villain
- DirectorTakahisa ZezeStarsNoriko EguchiAkira EmotoMitsuru Fukikoshi(Japanese with English subtitles) Part revenge story, part existential meditation, Heaven's Story is 100% modern epic, gracefully threading together multiple suburban tales of lost souls seeking retribution and redemption.Heaven's Story
- DirectorYûya IshiiStarsHikari MitsushimaKôtarô ShigaRyô IwamatsuAfter 5 years in Tokyo, 5 part-time jobs, 5 boyfriends, Sawako's life is going nowhere. When her father gets seriously ill she have to take over his struggling factory. Gradually she becomes the decider of her own life.Sawako Decides
- DirectorHideyuki HirayamaStarsEtsushi ToyokawaChizuru IkewakiKôji KikkawaA talented but troubled Edo Period swordsman, Kanemi Sanzaemon. Three years earlier, Kanemi killed a woman, Renko, the corrupt mistress of the powerful daimyo Tabu Ukyou. Unexpectedly, Kanemi received a lenient sentence for his crime and is allowed to return to his clan after only one year of imprisonment. Following his return, Kanemi is faced with the death of his wife, Mutsue. Thereafter, Kanemi lives with and cares for his wife's niece, Satoo, who has secret affections for Kanemi and expresses them by helping change his bleak outlook on life. Meanwhile, Kanemi's develops his unique "bird-catching" sword technique which he will soon put to test in battle for the first time against the fearsome swordsman, Hayatonosho Obiya.Sword of Desperation
- DirectorKazuyoshi KumakiriStarsMitsuki TanimuraPistol TakeharaRyô KaseIn the city of Kaitan, during the winter, the local shipyard is downsized and workers are laid off. Futa (Pistol Takehara) lives with his younger sister Honami (Mitsuki Tanimura). He loses his job at the shipyard and, feeling uneasy about their situation, goes with Honami to see the sunrise on a nearby mountainside for New Year's Day. Makoto (Takashi Yamanaka), a new city hall employee, visits the only remaining house in a redevelopment area. The home belongs to a 70-year-old woman,Toki (Aki Nakazato) who lives with her cat and a few animals in her backyard. Toki refuses to vacate the land and Makoto tries to persuade her that she will be forcibly evicted. 49-year-old Ryuzo (Kaoru Kobayashi) works in a small planetarium, while his relationship with his wife Haruyo (Haruyo Hika) and teenage son is deteriorating. Haruyo finds release by working as a hostess in a cabaret. Haruo (Ryo Kase) has taken over the operation of his father's gas company, but he worries about the state of his business. He also has a strained relationship with his wife, who takes out her anger on their son Akira. Taichiro, a street car driver, spots his son, Hiroshi (Masaki Miura) walking in downtown Kaitan. Although Hiroshi lives & works in Tokyo, he has come back to Kaitan for business. But he doesn't contact his father, even though it is the holiday season.Sketches Of Kaitan City
- DirectorTakashi IshiiStarsMachiko KochiHarumi InoueJô ShishidoJiro (Naoto Takenaka) is a man who can do anything for you for a price. Part odd jobs man and part private eye he takes on tasks as simple as clearing out storage lockers to tracking down lost items. That's what he's asked to do by a beautiful young woman (Hiroko Sato) who shows up at his warehouse living space one afternoon. This young woman asks Jiro to help her track down a lost Rolex watch that she says was accidentally thrown out of a helicopter while she was scattering the ashes of her late father. Jiro knows the story isn't true, but he needs the money so he and the young woman begin poking around miles of woodland in the proverbial search for a needle in a haystack. Miraculously Jiro finds the wrist watch, but it looks to be caked in rotting meat. Needy but not stupid Jiro hands the watch over to a sympathetic police woman he knows for analysis. Little does Jiro know that the discovery of this Rolex will lead to another case, one filled with violence, sex and danger, one that will lead him directly into the heart of darkness.A Night in Nude: Salvation
- DirectorYoshimitsu MoritaStarsMasato SakaiYukie NakamaKeiko MatsuzakaA low-income samurai struggling to survive when the philosophy and their reason of existence is being questioned and phased out.Abacus and Sword
- DirectorYôichi HigashiStarsTadanobu AsanoHiromi NagasakuSei AndôWar photojournalist Yasuyuki Tsukahara married popular manga artist Yuki Sonoda and had children. Because of Yasayuki's drinking problems the couple divorced. Yasuyuki is now coughing up blood, hospitalized, and violent. Even with all of these problems Yasuyuki can't give up drinking alcohol. His family gets tired. Yasuyuki is then hospitalized in an alcoholic ward. There he finds comfort living with other patients and having conversations with doctors. With the help of his family, Yasuyuki recovers mentally and physically, but his body has already paid a heavy toll.Wandering Home
[A story of family bonds that endure severe trials. Based on the autobiography of a war photographer who overcame alcohol dependency with the support of his ex-wife] - DirectorYoshinari NishikôriStarsKiichi NakaiReiko TakashimaYuika MotokariyaHajime is in line to be the next head of a prominent electronics company. He toils day and night over his work and has no time for his family. But one day, his mother in Shimane falls ill, and his best friend dies in an accident. Grief-stricken, Hajime returns home, where memories of his childhood dream come back to him. He had always wanted to be a train conductor and drive the local "bataden" Ichibata Electric Railway.Railways
[The Story of a Man Who Became a Train Operator at the Age of 49] - DirectorTatsushi ÔmoriStarsShôta MatsudaKengo KôraSakura AndôKenta and Jun are like brothers. Having grown up together in an orphanage, they now work in a demolition squad, bullied and blackmailed by their boss. One night, they pick up a simple-minded girl called Kayo and go on a road trip.A Crowd of Three
[Kenta & Jun, who grew up as almost brothers at a children's facility. Kenta & Jun now works as part of a demolition crew, but become fed up with their jobs. The friends then decide to take a road trip up north to visit Kenta's brother at the Abashiri prison.] - DirectorDaihachi YoshidaStarsYôsuke EguchiChizuru IkewakiMiho KannoNobara is a recently divorced single mother approaching thirty who moves back to her hometown with her daughter in tow. She begins reintegrating, revisiting old hang-outs and meeting with old acquaintances not giving anything a second thought. She even begins a relationship with the local school teacher. Yet, something if a little odd, a little offbeat, what is it with the women, their opinion of the men and the men.Permanent Nobara
[Naoko returns to her fishing village with her daughter after a messy divorce.] - DirectorHisako MatsuiStarsEmily MortimerKazuko YoshiyukiShidô NakamuraA film about the life and relationships of the early 20th century American educator, editor, and journalist Leonie Gilmour, the mother of the acclaimed artist and architect Isamu Noguchi.
- DirectorShigemichi SugitaStarsKoji YakushoKôichi SatôNanami SakurabaAn army of loyal samurai plot to revenge their unjustly executed lord.The Last Ronin
- DirectorIzuru NarushimaStarsShin'ichi TsutsumiYui NatsukawaHisashi YoshizawaSurgeon Touma (Shinichi Tsutsumi) became a doctor after losing his mother at a young age due to a faulty diagnosis. Now working at at a local hospital in 1989, Touma faces the realities of a flawed medical system, but continues to help his patients regardless of past customs. One day, the mayor (Akira Emoto) of the local city is admitted into the hospital in critical condition. To save the mayor's life, the mayor must undergo the first liver transplant from a brain-dead donor procedure in Japan. The law currently forbids such operations ... what will Touma do?A Lone Scalpel
- DirectorYoshihiro NakamuraStarsYûko TakeuchiNao ÔmoriTeruyuki KagawaAoyagi meets an old friend and ends up framed for the murder of the prime minister.Golden Slumber
- DirectorNorihiro KoizumiStarsYû AoiKyôka SuzukiYûko TakeuchiA story of six women from three different generations, each living their own journeys in their respective periods, spanning decades of dramatic changes in Japan from the 1930s to the present.