Drama films
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Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle review – Japanese soldier’s never-ending war
Robust, old-fashioned anti-war epic tells the true story of the soldier posted to the Philippines in the secon…
- Japan, World cinema, Drama films, World news, Asia Pacific, Festivals, Berlin film festival 2021, Culture, Berlin film festival, Film
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy review – a triptych of light-touch philosophy
Ryusuke Hamaguchi brings a gentle warmth to this ingenious collection of three stories united by themes of fat…
- Japan, Technology, Drama films, Virtual reality, World news, Asia Pacific, Anime, Romance films, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Belle review – anime that makes for an intriguing big-screen spectacle
This weird postmodern drama sees a lonely teenager join a virtual world where she becomes a hugely successful …
- Japan, World cinema, Drama films, Action and adventure films, Akira Kurosawa, Westerns, Culture, Film
Seven Samurai review – an epic primal myth that pulsates through cinema
Akira Kurosawa’s tale of ascetic mercenaries brought together for a single job inspired endless imitations, bu…
- Japan, Environment, Drama films, Period and historical films, Johnny Depp, Pollution, World news, Asia Pacific, Culture, Film
‘I’m angry about a lot of things’: Japanese actor Minami on her new eco-drama with Johnny Depp
The actor and painter explains why the world needs to see Minimata, the new film about the mercury poisoning s…
- Japan, World cinema, Cannes film festival, Drama films, Haruki Murakami, World news, Asia Pacific, Books, Festivals, Culture, Film, Film adaptations
Drive My Car review – mysterious Murakami tale of erotic and creative secrets
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi reaches a new grandeur with this engrossing adaptation about a theatre director grappling wi…
- Fukushima, Japan, Environment, Japan disaster, World cinema, Nuclear power, Drama films, Asia Pacific, Culture, Film
Fukushima 50 review – Ken Watanabe in simmering tribute to power-plant heroes
There’s a touch of Hollywood in this dramatised account of the 50 workers who stayed at Fukushima Daiichi in a…
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Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy review – a triptych of light-touch philosophy
Ryusuke Hamaguchi brings a gentle warmth to this ingenious collection of three stories united by themes of fat…
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Lost Girls and Love Hotels review – submission and secrets in erotic Tokyo drama
Alexandra Daddario’s American English teacher drinks, parties and explores BDSM in this cool movie that only o…
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The Flavour of Green Tea Over Rice review – Ozu’s bittersweet triumph
This portrait of married middle age is deliciously flavoured with mystery and melancholyThe flavour is that of…
- Japan, Drama films, Science fiction and fantasy films, Studio Ghibli, Netflix, World news, Media, Asia Pacific, Television & radio, Television, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Every Studio Ghibli film – ranked!
In a bonus edition, we rank all 21 animations – from Spirited Away to Ponyo – by the revered Japanese studio, …
- Japan, World cinema, Drama films, Science fiction and fantasy films, World news, Asia Pacific, Culture, Animation in film, Film
Weathering With You review – thrillingly beautiful anime romance
A runaway teenager falls for a mysterious ‘sun girl’ who has the power to stop the rain in Japan’s highest-gro…