Japan Film Festival (JFF) Online 2024: 5th-19th June

2h 36m - Classic, Drama - 1954

Melodrama that's also very real - anti-war and proto-feminist - from the Golden Age of Japanese Cinema, over-flowing with both love and sorrow.

This is available in a few places outside the Festival. Well worth seeking out if you didn't get around to it here.

1hr 46 m - Art, Coming of Age, Drama - 2022

The lines of this film shift from delicate to joyful to bold to struggle to fulfilling, embodying the ethos of its story of finding your own lines in art and traditional forms, the ones rooted in your own emotions and the life in them.

1 hr 53 m  - Coming of Age, Drama, SF - 2023

Another youth film focused on creativity, a visual art and finding your own voice. High school students work together, with the help of a uni film student and a history teacher, pushing themselves, their skills and ingenuity to make a short science fiction film with meaning.
It's left me with a big smile ?

2h 8m - Biography, Drama, Family - 2023

Beautiful, poetic melodrama depicting a romanticised and idealised life of an idealistic young man who, after his death, became one of Japan's most loved poets and writers.

1h 58m - BL, Drama, LGBTQ+ -2022

A simple story of friendship, creativity and hope delightfully told. The elderly woman is a joy and the young girl, full of dreams and fears, is too.

1h 44m - Drama, LGBTQ+ - 2022

Aroace woman coping in a world where that's not understood. Striking was two characters in particular who, rather than listening to her when she told them, insisted on redefining her into their world views. It's an often lonely film, although she's rarely alone. Or at least it felt that way to me. She did have a supportive friend who was lovely.

1h 25m - Drama, Road Movie, Sisterhood - 2022

intense, difficult but light amongst the dark, and very very good

1h 51m - Drama, Food, Japanese Culture - 2022

Food, nature, living with the seasons and environment, and a 60 year old man dealing with grief and his fear of his own death. Also, the shallowness of relative 'privilege'. Overall, contemplative and contented.

2hr 4m - Drama, Romance - 2021

One of the most equal relationships I've seen. There's something else I want to compliment it on but that would be a spoiler.
All in all, it's an excellent film. Solid writing and acting so natural I managed to forget I was watching a film during some of it. Oh right, this isn't happening. If someone said, "I'm willing to watch one het love story this year" this is one of two I'd suggest.

1h 17m - Drama, Family - 2021

Very well done and highly recommended. About acceptance of difference and problems caused by those quick to judge.

1h 41m - Documentary, Family - 2022

I've never made it through a Japanese documentary. Their style (and hey, it works for them so this isn't a complaint) feels drawn out and repetitious for me, with a very fine grain on attention to small details. I regret not giving everyone involved the respect of finishing, but I learn more about the world and its people by watching some and then, moving on isn't quite the right word because I do think about what I've learned after.

1hr 35 m - Action, Comedy, Coming of Age - 2021

Gave up after 50 minutes, the hyper-violence was too much and while I can see what they're doing in contrasting it with the girls' nonchalance, it's not how I want to spend my time. Sort of like a first-person shooter meets psychopathic baby Slackers.

1h 53m - Business, Drama, Mystery - 2021

Well made but I don't get on with business settings and the artificial constructions of the corporate world. Kudos for a resourceful female protagonist fighting for her values and her character's message of choosing what standards to update and what to discard as society changes.

2h 0m - Comedy, Period Drama - 2023

Fast-paced, silly with a good heart and only a bit of the laughing-at not -with side of Japanese humour.

1h 44m - Comedy, Drama, Food - 2022

Physical comedy in the vein of Jerry Lewis or Jim Carey with a very straight face which morphs into something which runs Serious Film tropes over a tongue in cheek situation with an underlying serious message about not taking things so seriously. Plus food.

1h 55m - Comedy, Drama, Romance - 2008

Kept waiting for it to shift modes but it wasn't doing that so I gave up. Probably has a good message about looking beyond appearances, but the first hour is built around humour that puts people down for their appearance.

2 hr 8m - Anime, Business, Drama - 2022

Not sure what to make of this. On the one hand, I feel like there must be a lot I didn't understand. But then I'm not sure it was really in there. Didn't get on with the first hour at all. Business pressure + ratings competition = could not care less. The whys which eventually emerged from the FL were poignant, but scant and cliched. Endings of the animes were moving, some of that was from the stories, some from music & reactions of those watching. Acting was excellent.

1h 57m - Business, Comedy, Drama - 2022

Sometimes endearing comedy with a kitchen sink plot of several people's stories touched on before it dances away again. It's over full but does tie things together and is ultimately heartfelt.

Professional quality short horror

horror short The simplest of the three shortest and probably my favourite.

horror, short  Best Regards to All is technically better, but the ending of The Invitation makes it more complete as a short IMO.

Glad I watched this in the afternoon :) Amongst other things, got a jump scare from the sound. Was using headphones and it was Right There :D

horror short  Technically good, but it felt very incomplete, more like a trailer than a short film. Interesting tension between apparent innocence and very much not, but it didn't really go anywhere.

10 episode drama, Business
Available via JFF Online AFTER the films June 19 noon – July 3 noon, 2024 (JST)

Episode 1 was a lot of earnest shouting from men. Same screenwriter and director as Rikuoh and that wore me out so I won't continue with Rocket.

10 episode drama, business, sports
Available via JFF Online AFTER the films June 19 noon – July 3 noon, 2024 (JST)

Optimistic enough to keep me going through much of it, although eps 7-9 were a struggle to get through what with corporate greed needlessly ruining the quality of our real lives. And even though it all worked out for them because fiction, it's all worn me out and I need to get back to things which help my mental health rather than depleting me.

So not for me.