Many filmmakers who've experienced success with a short film are tempted to pad the initial project out into a feature. However, in the case of Japanese director Mayu Nakamura, she's taken the key themes and filmmaking principles of her successful short “Among Four of Us” (2021) and produced the touching anthology, “She is Me, I am her”. In just a brisk 70 minutes, the film explores loneliness, life in post-pandemic Japan, and the importance of human connection. Minor spoilers follow
“She is Me, I Am Her” is streaming on Sakka Films
The film is made up of four short films; the first, “Among Four of Us”, follows a phone call between three former college friends reuniting, while the second, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, concerns the relationship that develops between a delivery driver and a regular customer. With the third short, “Ms. Ghost”, we see two street workers of different generations share their stories of lost dreams,...
“She is Me, I Am Her” is streaming on Sakka Films
The film is made up of four short films; the first, “Among Four of Us”, follows a phone call between three former college friends reuniting, while the second, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, concerns the relationship that develops between a delivery driver and a regular customer. With the third short, “Ms. Ghost”, we see two street workers of different generations share their stories of lost dreams,...
- 5/11/2024
- by Tom Wilmot
- AsianMoviePulse
Many filmmakers who've experienced success with a short film are tempted to pad the initial project out into a feature. However, in the case of Japanese director Mayu Nakamura, she's taken the key themes and filmmaking principles of her successful short “Among Four of Us” (2021) and produced the touching anthology, “She is Me, I am her”. In just a brisk 70 minutes, the film explores loneliness, life in post-pandemic Japan, and the importance of human connection. Minor spoilers follow.
She is Me, I am Her is screening at Asian Pop-Up Cinema Sophia's Choice
The film is made up of four short films; the first, “Among Four of Us”, follows a phone call between three former college friends reuniting, while the second, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, concerns the relationship that develops between a delivery driver and a regular customer. With the third short, “Ms. Ghost”, we see two street workers of...
She is Me, I am Her is screening at Asian Pop-Up Cinema Sophia's Choice
The film is made up of four short films; the first, “Among Four of Us”, follows a phone call between three former college friends reuniting, while the second, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, concerns the relationship that develops between a delivery driver and a regular customer. With the third short, “Ms. Ghost”, we see two street workers of...
- 3/20/2023
- by Tom Wilmot
- AsianMoviePulse
Chicago, Il – Asian Pop-Up Cinema today announced a lineup of films showcasing Japanese cinema opening weekend March 18-19 for its 16th Season running March 18- April 16. While many films released theatrically have not been themed Covid-19, opening weekend explores Japanese life, loneliness, and people’s desire for connection during and after the pandemic, Japanese Americans living here during WWII, and new indie films recently released in Japan.
Since its inception, Asian Pop-Up Cinema has hosted an impressive lineup of film directors, producers, and major talent. This season brings Japanese guests to Chicago for the first time since the pandemic. They will present their latest work, share their stories, and showcase their society and how it has adapted to change in recent years.
The 16th Season of Asian Pop-Up Cinema opens at AMC Evanston 12 with Variety and The Japan Times film critic and Apuc’s Advisory Board Member, Mark Schilling hosting...
Since its inception, Asian Pop-Up Cinema has hosted an impressive lineup of film directors, producers, and major talent. This season brings Japanese guests to Chicago for the first time since the pandemic. They will present their latest work, share their stories, and showcase their society and how it has adapted to change in recent years.
The 16th Season of Asian Pop-Up Cinema opens at AMC Evanston 12 with Variety and The Japan Times film critic and Apuc’s Advisory Board Member, Mark Schilling hosting...
- 2/17/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Many filmmakers who’ve experienced success with a short film are tempted to pad the initial project out into a feature. However, in the case of Japanese director Mayu Nakamura, she’s taken the key themes and filmmaking principles of her successful short “Among Four of Us” (2021) and produced the touching anthology, “She is Me, I am her”. In just a brisk 70 minutes, the film explores loneliness, life in post-pandemic Japan, and the importance of human connection. Minor spoilers follow.
“She Is Me, I Am Her” is screening at Japan Society as part of The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from Japan Cuts and Beyond Program
The film is made up of four short films; the first, “Among Four of Us”, follows a phone call between three former college friends reuniting, while the second, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, concerns the relationship that develops between a delivery driver and a regular customer.
“She Is Me, I Am Her” is screening at Japan Society as part of The Female Gaze: Women Filmmakers from Japan Cuts and Beyond Program
The film is made up of four short films; the first, “Among Four of Us”, follows a phone call between three former college friends reuniting, while the second, “Someone to Watch Over Me”, concerns the relationship that develops between a delivery driver and a regular customer.
- 12/28/2022
- by Tom Wilmot
- AsianMoviePulse
"Thank you for giving birth to him." Film Movement has unveiled an official US trailer for the latest feature film from acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase. We first wrote about a teaser for this film last year, and it was initially scheduled to debut at the Cannes Film Festival (before the fest was cancelled). It will instead launch in "virtual cinemas" around the US at the end of this month after first opening in Japan last year. True Mothers, originally known as Asa ga Kuru in Japanese, is about a young Japanese couple that adopts a child, but then six years later they are contacted unexpectedly by the child's birth mother. Or at least a woman claiming to be the birth mother. Starring Arata Iura, Hiromi Nagasaku, Aju Makita, Miyoko Asada, Taketo Tanaka, and Ren Komai. True Mothers is also Japan's official submission to the Academy Awards this year. This...
- 1/17/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Cannes beloved regular, filmmaker Naomi Kawase, was originally summoned to premiere her latest work “True Mothers” at this year’s edition, in spring. We all know what happened then, unfortunately, and the film was finally premiered at Toronto Film Festival last September and It is now in cinemas in Japan. Based on a novel that ignited discussions about adoption in Japan, the film takes in fact an approach more emotional than moral, leaving the adoption issue on the background.
“True Mothers” is streaming at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
The narration unfolds in a three-act mode, 2 of which are long flashbacks. We are immediately introduced to the serene middle-class Kurihara family in Tokyo. In an airy and bright apartment, Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) lovingly helps her 6-year-old boy Asato (Reo Sato) in the morning ritual of tooth-brushing and dad Kiyokazu (Arata Iura) takes him to school. Not long after, a phone call...
“True Mothers” is streaming at Thessaloniki International Film Festival
The narration unfolds in a three-act mode, 2 of which are long flashbacks. We are immediately introduced to the serene middle-class Kurihara family in Tokyo. In an airy and bright apartment, Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) lovingly helps her 6-year-old boy Asato (Reo Sato) in the morning ritual of tooth-brushing and dad Kiyokazu (Arata Iura) takes him to school. Not long after, a phone call...
- 11/11/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Cannes beloved regular, filmmaker Naomi Kawase, was originally summoned to premiere her latest work “True Mothers” at this year’s edition, in spring. We all know what happened then, unfortunately, and the film was finally premiered at Toronto Film Festival last September and It is now in cinemas in Japan. Based on a novel that ignited discussions about adoption in Japan, the film takes in fact an approach more emotional than moral, leaving the adoption issue on the background.
“True Mothers” is screening as part of the 2nd Annual HFPA Foreign Language Film Series
The narration unfolds in a three-act mode, 2 of which are long flashbacks. We are immediately introduced to the serene middle-class Kurihara family in Tokyo. In an airy and bright apartment, Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) lovingly helps her 6-year-old boy Asato (Reo Sato) in the morning ritual of tooth-brushing and dad Kiyokazu (Arata Iura) takes him to school.
“True Mothers” is screening as part of the 2nd Annual HFPA Foreign Language Film Series
The narration unfolds in a three-act mode, 2 of which are long flashbacks. We are immediately introduced to the serene middle-class Kurihara family in Tokyo. In an airy and bright apartment, Satoko (Hiromi Nagasaku) lovingly helps her 6-year-old boy Asato (Reo Sato) in the morning ritual of tooth-brushing and dad Kiyokazu (Arata Iura) takes him to school.
- 11/1/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Naomi Kawase is a divisive name on the festival circuit, though you might be surprised that’s the case when actually watching her work. A mainstay at the Cannes Film Festival for over two decades, Kawase boasts fluidity in form and feeling. She blends documentary and fiction while putting her stories within a context that reveres the natural world, an approach that has inspired admiration for some and annoyance for others. But whatever one accepts or rejects from Kawase’s films is irrelevant to the fact that she has a distinctive voice, and the way her vision adapts to or clashes against cinematic conventions can be a rewarding experience in itself.
True Mothers, Kawase’s adaptation of a novel by Mizuki Tsujimura, might be her most plot-heavy work to date. Structured as a mystery of sorts, it hinges itself on a central moment to tell two different stories. The first...
True Mothers, Kawase’s adaptation of a novel by Mizuki Tsujimura, might be her most plot-heavy work to date. Structured as a mystery of sorts, it hinges itself on a central moment to tell two different stories. The first...
- 9/22/2020
- by C.J. Prince
- The Film Stage
There are cinephiles who are transported to aesthetic nirvana by Naomi Kawase’s eco-spiritualism, and there are critics who flee her cinematic ashram. Neither will be wholly satisfied with “True Mothers,” the director’s contemplation of motherhood and adoption, which is her most plot-driven but least visually lustrous film yet. Like most of her previous features, this one also made Cannes’ official selection, only this one had to wait till Toronto to premiere after Covid struck. Resembling the relationship-based “Red Bean,” this dip into less mystical waters may give the film wider reach beyond French devotees to non-art-house fans of melodrama, especially in Asia.
Kawase’s father walked out at her tender age, letting her grandmother shoulder much of her upbringing. The wounds of abandonment are lyrically evoked in her debut “Suzaku,” as well as in “Shara” and “Still the Water,” while her enduring absorption with birth and her self-perception...
Kawase’s father walked out at her tender age, letting her grandmother shoulder much of her upbringing. The wounds of abandonment are lyrically evoked in her debut “Suzaku,” as well as in “Shara” and “Still the Water,” while her enduring absorption with birth and her self-perception...
- 9/20/2020
- by Maggie Lee
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes Film Festival’s regular Naomi Kawase will not see her new movie “True Mothers” screened there this year unfortunately, despite being added to the list of 2020 Official Selections, and we will not be able to see it in theatres for a while either, for reasons that we all know, but it will probably be present in many line-ups of the new post-summer round of Festivals.
Synopsis
Based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s novel of the same name, “True Mothers” follows the story of Kiyokazu Kurihara and Satoko, a married couple struggling with infertility and trying every medical help in order to conceive biologically. However, after a long stream of unsuccessful attempts, the couple decides to adopt the child Asato instead. Then, six years later a woman comes into their lives and introduces herself as Hikari Katakura, She claims to be Asato’s biological mother and extorts them for money.
The film stars Arata Iura,...
Synopsis
Based on Mizuki Tsujimura’s novel of the same name, “True Mothers” follows the story of Kiyokazu Kurihara and Satoko, a married couple struggling with infertility and trying every medical help in order to conceive biologically. However, after a long stream of unsuccessful attempts, the couple decides to adopt the child Asato instead. Then, six years later a woman comes into their lives and introduces herself as Hikari Katakura, She claims to be Asato’s biological mother and extorts them for money.
The film stars Arata Iura,...
- 6/19/2020
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
More Cannes trailers! Spanish distributor Cine Maldito has debuted a lovely 30-second teaser trailer for the Japanese film titled True Mothers, the latest feature film made by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Naomi Kawase. This was just announced last week as an official selection at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival, which is no longer happening this year, but they announced most of their line-up anyway. True Mothers, originally known as Asa ga Kuru in Japanese, is about a young couple that adopts a child, but then six years later they are contacted unexpectedly by the child's birth mother. Or at least a woman claiming to be the birth mother. The film stars Arata Iura, Hiromi Nagasaku, Aju Makita, Miyoko Asada, Taketo Tanaka, and Ren Komai. There's no dialogue in this trailer, only footage, and it already looks like an emotional rollercoaster. Here's the first official teaser trailer for Naomi Kawase's True Mothers, direct...
- 6/8/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
In times of trouble, people often lend their hopes to untrustworthy options. “Erica 38” by Yuichi Hibi, tells such a fairytail, that turns out to be nothing more than a big scam.
“Erica 38” is screening at Japan Cuts 2019
The story of betrayal starts with Satoko Watabe, a 60-year-old con artist who does not flinch from duping others to get their money. “Erica 38” retells her life starting from her violent childhood with an abusive father and portraits Satoko’s actions as a result of her psychological disorder. Since a teenager, she a disturbed relationship with men. When Satoko meets Hirasawa, a good-looking and eloquent middle-aged man, she falls for him and becomes part of his pyramid scam system with her at the top. From that point on, she has to attract solvent members and benefit from their investments without giving back the promised dividends. Her former hostess lifestyle is no longer necessary...
“Erica 38” is screening at Japan Cuts 2019
The story of betrayal starts with Satoko Watabe, a 60-year-old con artist who does not flinch from duping others to get their money. “Erica 38” retells her life starting from her violent childhood with an abusive father and portraits Satoko’s actions as a result of her psychological disorder. Since a teenager, she a disturbed relationship with men. When Satoko meets Hirasawa, a good-looking and eloquent middle-aged man, she falls for him and becomes part of his pyramid scam system with her at the top. From that point on, she has to attract solvent members and benefit from their investments without giving back the promised dividends. Her former hostess lifestyle is no longer necessary...
- 7/26/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Cult Japanese director Sabu has completed “Jam,” an action film which features three men from completely different walks of life who find themselves heading for a showdown. One is a do-gooder, another a singer, and the third a Yakuza gangster.
The film heads the slate that sales company Free Stone is unwrapping this week at the European Film Market alongside the Berlin Film Festival. Sabu previously attended the Berlinale with 2015 competition film “Chasuke’s Journey.” Germany’s Rapid Eye Movies is handling sales outside Asia.
Kirin Kiki, the veteran Japanese actress who died in September, will appear for the last time on screen in “Erica 38.” Directed by Yuichi Hibi, the film is a crime drama about a 60-year-old woman (Miyoko Asada) who makes a living as a small-time con artist, and gets sucked into an even larger scam by an older woman (Kirin).
Free Stone is also pitching animation “Violence Voyager,...
The film heads the slate that sales company Free Stone is unwrapping this week at the European Film Market alongside the Berlin Film Festival. Sabu previously attended the Berlinale with 2015 competition film “Chasuke’s Journey.” Germany’s Rapid Eye Movies is handling sales outside Asia.
Kirin Kiki, the veteran Japanese actress who died in September, will appear for the last time on screen in “Erica 38.” Directed by Yuichi Hibi, the film is a crime drama about a 60-year-old woman (Miyoko Asada) who makes a living as a small-time con artist, and gets sucked into an even larger scam by an older woman (Kirin).
Free Stone is also pitching animation “Violence Voyager,...
- 2/9/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Sweet Bean (An) Kino Lorber Reviewed by: Harvey Karten for Shockya, d-based on Rotten Tomatoes Grade: B Director: Naomi Kawase Written by: Naomi Kawase based on Durian Sukegawa’s novel Cast: Kirin Kiki, Masatoshi Nagase, Kyara Uchida, Miyoko Asada, Etsuko Ichihara Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 2/17/16 Opens: March 18, 2016 Eating is a social occasion to such an extent that we may feel sorry for those, like business executives, who must often dine alone. People bond over food. State dinners are de rigeuer in much of the world, sharing of food helping along agreements between countries. And people bond as well over cooking. Though cooking at home is often a [ Read More ]
The post Sweet Bean Paste Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Sweet Bean Paste Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/3/2016
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Despite her prolific output, with films often times making their way to the Cannes Film Festival, Naomi Kawase seems to go under-appreciated here in the United States due to the lack of distribution. Thankfully her latest drama, Sweet Bean (previously titled An and Sweet Red Bean Paste), was picked up by Kino Lorber and will be arriving next month. Following the story of a small bakery, it was one of our favorite dramas of Cannes last year and today brings the U.S. trailer.
We said in our review, “Contributing immeasurably to this empathetic tone is Kiki’s soulful, splendidly unaffected performance. Playing someone with a sad secret to guard and a militantly cheerful exterior as defense, this portrayal could have gone off the sappy or the farcical end so easily. Instead, she succeeds in first tricking you into seeing this harmlessly wacky old lady who talks to red beans and greets birds,...
We said in our review, “Contributing immeasurably to this empathetic tone is Kiki’s soulful, splendidly unaffected performance. Playing someone with a sad secret to guard and a militantly cheerful exterior as defense, this portrayal could have gone off the sappy or the farcical end so easily. Instead, she succeeds in first tricking you into seeing this harmlessly wacky old lady who talks to red beans and greets birds,...
- 2/23/2016
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Tori Matsuzaka, winner of the Best New Actor prize from the 85th Kinema Junpo Awards, is set to get his first starring film role in an adaptation of Mizuki Tsujimura’s best-selling novel, Tsunagi.
Last year, the novel helped Tsujimura take home the 32nd Yoshikawa Eiji Award for New Writers. The story is a mixture of fantasy and human drama, depicting a young man’s personal growth through his work helping people connect with lost loved ones as a spirit medium.
Matsuzaka plays Ayumi, a high school student who’s working as an apprentice medium under the tutelage of his grandmother, Aiko (Kirin Kiki), in hopes of taking over for her someday.
Yuichiro Hirakawa worked on the screenplay and will direct. His previous directorial work includes TBS dramas such as Rookies, Jin and Mr. Brain. He was reportedly deeply moved by the original novel.
According to Hirakawa, the Tohoku earthquake...
Last year, the novel helped Tsujimura take home the 32nd Yoshikawa Eiji Award for New Writers. The story is a mixture of fantasy and human drama, depicting a young man’s personal growth through his work helping people connect with lost loved ones as a spirit medium.
Matsuzaka plays Ayumi, a high school student who’s working as an apprentice medium under the tutelage of his grandmother, Aiko (Kirin Kiki), in hopes of taking over for her someday.
Yuichiro Hirakawa worked on the screenplay and will direct. His previous directorial work includes TBS dramas such as Rookies, Jin and Mr. Brain. He was reportedly deeply moved by the original novel.
According to Hirakawa, the Tohoku earthquake...
- 3/30/2012
- Nippon Cinema
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