A fashion editor reflects on the nature of love after falling for a personal trainer in Daishi Matsunaga’s deeply moving romantic drama.
Jun 9, 2023 • Subscribe
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Egoist エゴイスト (2022) Dir: Daishi Matsunaga [New York Asian Film Festival 2023]
Egoist エゴイスト (2022) Dir: Daishi Matsunaga [New York Asian Film Festival 2023]
Egoist
Hio Miyazawa and Ryohei Suzuki in Egoist. Representations of queer characters in mainstream Japanese TV and film can often feel dated. Occasionally you’ll get nuance and depth (Three…
Egoist (2022) review [Nippon Connection 2023]
Matsunaga’s heartfelt and heart-breaking narrative goes beyond the gay-dynamic to show that the lack that injures the subject complicates and radically determines the way he approaches the object…
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Yamabuki (2022) review [IFFR 2022]
“A beautiful socially-engaged narrative that explores the very fact that, by being grasped within the societal network of relations, one cannot but influence the other and become influenced…
Eleven Greed (2022) [JFFH 2022]
Despite its obvious low-budget nature, Soejima delivers a highly entertaining and engaging action-thriller.
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Colleen Wanglund reviews Young Min Kim's psychological thriller Dawning.
Mixed (USA, 2022) [CAAMFest 2022]
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Howling (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews M Haris Sheikh's neo noir Howling.
Summer Wedding (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Azusa Hieda’s short film Summer Wedding.
Bagmati River (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Yusaku Matsumoto's short film Bagmati River.
Shaman’s Daughter (2022) review [JFFH 2022]
A genre mish-mash – a cocktail of light-hearted comedy, family drama, bloody thriller, and ghostly romance – that is not only pleasant but offers the spectator a rich…
Random Call (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
Ohkanda’s narrative proves that one does not need a big budget to deliver a narrative that touches the spectator.
Melting Sounds (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“Kahori Higashi’s debut is impressive.”
Angry Son (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“An incredibly rich and deep narrative that not only delivers a satisfying coming-of-age story but also an elegantly delivered social commentary on some of the frictions marking Japanese…
Stone Steps (2022) review [JFFH 2022]
A great indie narrative that highlights the need for the parental and the traditional Other to aid the subject to embark on the path of his own desire.…
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Random Call (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
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Straying (2022) review [Camera Japan 2022]
A pleasant and charming exploration of the fact that, within the game of love and romance and beyond, subjects often rely on acting-out to reveal to the other…
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Kawanobe delivers a very touching and emotional story about homosexuality in Japan.
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Two On The Edge (2022) review [Japannual 2022]
“A touching experience that highlights that the desire to be loved, for better or worse, is the ulitmate guide the neurotic subject within the societal field.”
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“A beautiful film that elegantly explores the role the imaginary plays in marital failure as well as in the beginning of a new romantic bond.”
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Shugo Fujii proves that he is the master of indie-thrillers.
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“A very satisfying satirical short thta shows that, within the job-seeking process, only the image matters.”
Missing (2022) review
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While Fujii does not re-invent the J-horror genre with Onpaku, he does prove the horror-frame can still be exploited to deliver satisfying horror narratives.
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“A great dystopian narrative that clearly gives expression the director’s fear of certain right-wing tendencies that linger within Japanese society.”
Usogui (2022) review
‘Usogui’ got 99 problems, but the manga-like appearances of the characters ain’t one.
SLA Podcast 2022
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Non, in short, proves with her first feature film that she has a future as screenwriter and director.
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