The Japanese Film Festival (previously known as EIGASAI) return in 2022 with a program of 20 films that depicts Japanese culture and art.
The festival will run from February 14 until the 27th and you can catch these films for free here: https://watch.jff.jpf.go.jp/
The film festival's lineup this year includes films from a variety of genres, including drama, comedy, animation, documentaries, and thrillers. The following are 10 capsule reviews that are part of the program:
"Sumodo: The Successors of Samurai" delves into the challenges sumo wrestlers face in and out of the ring.
"Sumodo: The Successors of Samurai" follows a group of rikishi as they practice, eat, and participate in epic sumo tournaments.
Sports movies are always fascinating to watch. It takes us beyond the superficial point of sport. It depicts a person's journey from defeat to victory. And there’s something inspiring, motivating, and compelling about stories of man’s perseverance to surpass human limits to be the best.
But sports movies' strength is usually the drama associated with them. Take, for example, the Chicago Bulls' run with Michael Jordan. It will never be as compelling as it is without the tragic downfalls and the team conflicts.
"Sumodo: The Samurai Successors" takes us behind the scenes of every battle. Wrestlers weighing 150 kilograms go through rigorous training regimens. They fight despite their injuries of broken bones and torn muscles. There's something admirable about their aspiration to outperform others and themselves.
The film does pull certain heartstrings with Goeido and Ryuden’s hardships with injury and family. However, the film only presents us with a shallow perspective of their lives. It feels like there’s more to their journey that director Eiji Sakata fails to fully explore, such as their true aspirations, life after sumo, and the toll of their success.
Overall, "Sumodo: The Successors of Samurai" works best as an edifying film that helps the audience appreciate Japan’s national sports; and the rikishi who dedicated their lives to Sumo wrestling. But it all feels underwhelming and undercooked.
3/5
Takashi Innami’s documentary film is about Kazuo Yamagishi. A ramen chef who invented the very famous Tsukemen.
Kazuo Yamagishi is the founder of the ramen house, Taishoken. The store is small and can only accommodate 16 customers. But the line outside is absurdly long that it even extends across the streets.
Yamagishi has been whipping up delectable ramen for over 40 years. And throughout his lifetime, he had over 50+ apprentices. Most of which started their own Tsukemen shops by the time of filming. But despite their best efforts, no one can ever emulate the scrumptiousness of Tsukemen like the so-called boss.
"The God of Ramen" explores the life and struggle of Yamagishi.
It’s impossible not to fall in love with Yamagishi’s bright smile. His appealing personality shows every time he communicates with his apprentice, his customers, and the crew. And his simple life and undying passion for the craft make this story endearing, affecting, and inspiring.
The film tackles all that it can throughout its seven-year access to him. It talks about his past, his wife, and his aspirations. But despite all of this, it still feels lacking. How about the legacy that Yamagishi left in the industry? How about the lives he changed? Or the people he helped? There are still questions and topics left unanswered and unexplored.
2.5/5
Atsuhiro Yamada’s quiet thriller is about a programmer who disrupts the Shogi world with his remarkable creation.
"Awake" follows the shogi player Eiichi (Ryo Yoshizawa), who abandons his dream of turning pro after crushing defeats to the prodigy, Riku (Ryuya Wakaba). However, after discovering an AI-based Shogi computer program, he dedicated himself to building an unbeatable Shogi computer.
Passion, dedication, and sacrifice are the three core themes in Atsuhiro Yamada’s quiet film. In all fairness, "Awake" works as a narrative about overcoming limits and impossibilities. It talks about the importance of hard work in achieving greater success and moving forward despite many roadblocks.
However, "Awake" isn’t a film for everyone. The story is difficult to relate to. One of the reason that hinders the viewers to connect to the characters is that the topics discussed refer to two niche groups: shogi players and programmers. Both of which require extensive knowledge to fully understand.
Although, sometimes niche movies can work. Bennett Miller’s "Moneyball" is a number-heavy film. Without knowledge of baseball and statistics, it’s easy to tag it as boring and uneventful. But the exposition and plot structure make it easier for the viewers to understand. Plus, Brad Pitt is really good in this film.
If only "Awake" took the same approach and assumed that not everyone knows programming and Shogi, it might have been able to ditch dull scenes and keep the narrative simple to appreciate and understand.
1.5/5
In this 2012 drama film, a couple’s bakery becomes the sanctuary of broken people looking to heal.
Rie (Tomoyo Harada) and Mizushima (Yo Oizumi) decided to leave their busy lives in Tokyo to open a bakery in Hokkaido. They named the shop Mani, after the character in one of Rie’s favorite children's books.
During their first year working full-time in the bakery, they encountered different people with heavy personal problems. There’s an uneasy woman taking a fake vacation, a child going through the separation of her parents, and two lovely couples who want to see the moon.
As they spend time in Mani, Rie and Mizushima, along with the townsfolk, make it their mission to help these strangers heal through bread, nature, and kindness.
"Bread of Happiness" follows a thin premise.
Not much is happening on screen other than Rie and Mizushima creating and serving delicious breads, and shots of sublime sceneries. It’s kind of expected in a slice-of-life Japanese drama that keeps the conflict easy and strife-free. So if you’re in the mood for a cozy and slow film, this one's for you.
The movie runs for a good 114 minutes. And it's overflowing with happy, sad, and tear-jerking moments. It reminds me of Junichi Mori’s "Little Forest" with its warmth and serenity, but minus the deepness and intent given to the role of the foods in the story.
3/5
This drama, directed by veteran director Yuichiro Hirakawa, follows a young student's training to become a connector to the dead.
Toki (Tori Matsuzaka) is a high school student and the next in line to be a "tsunagu," or an intermediary between the dead and the living. Part of his training is to help the current tsunagu (Kirin Kiki) in meeting the clients.
As the days go by, Ayumi observes the many ups and downs of becoming a connector to the afterlife. But time is not on his side, soon he must decide whether to follow this fate or not.
"Until the Break of Dawn" is an episodic drama film that surprisingly chooses to focus its attention on the people in need of a tsunagu, rather than the journey of Ayumi. In hindsight, this is a stroke of brilliance. By focusing on the little stories, it was able to touch on a multitude of ideas about death, grief, and moving on.
But "Until the Break of Dawn" fails to fully captivate me with its drama.
The performances are strong. But not the story. It’s difficult to connect with the characters emotionally since the narrative they traverse are half-baked, if not heavy-handed. If only it kept the exposition to a minimum and relied on the talents of its all-star cast instead, this film would’ve been so affecting.
2/5
Takeshi Furusawa’s time-traveling romantic film is about the joy of youth and the beauty of friendship.
Ryo Yoake's (Yudai Chiba) company is developing a capsule that will allow the person who takes it to appear 10 years younger. Since they're still developing the drug, they want subjects to take part of their experiments in exchange of a few perks.
One of their prospect is the 27 years old unemployed bum, Arata Kaizaki (Taishi Nakagawa).
Left with no choice, he accepted Ryo's proposal. And as part of their scientific research, they have to send Arata back to high school.
"ReLIFE" is a nice, cheesy, and romantic adaptation of the manga of the same name. It taps directly into our memories of high school life, with all of its struggle, drama, and joy.
It has a lot of loopholes and is a bit slow. It takes a long time to set itself up, but once it does, it’s all full of memorable moments. It’s also not really deep with its commentaries on growing up, which I think is fine. Not everything needs to be hard-hitting and serious; sometimes a fun-filled film is enough.
"ReLIFE" is a simple film. There’s nothing really much to say about it besides the interesting premise.
2.5/5
This historical feature by Shinji Higuchi and Isshin Inudo talks about the brave standoff of Oshi Castle against a huge number of soldiers.
"The Floating Castle" follows Narita Nagachika (Mansai Nomura), the Oshi Castle’s castellan, as he and his fellow generals defend their castle against Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s army of 20,000 soldiers. Through his unique way of making people laugh and working with them, he rallied his 500 men to go to war.
If there is one word to describe "The Floating Castle," it’s epic. It opens with big water scenes and it keeps the narrative going through incredible spectacles. The production design is simply amazing, with on-point costumes, props, and settings. It will make you feel that it was really 1590 Japan.
What’s distracting about "The Floating Castle" is the weird way the characters act. Nagachika was introduced as this buffoon and unpredictable guy, but he's so unnecessarily comedic that he becomes a distraction.
It also didn't help that the film is almost 3 hours long. And that it lacks the perfect balance between drama, action, and comedy.
2.5/5
"Mio’s Cookbook" is a story of friendship made stronger by distance and foods.
After losing her parents and her best friend in a great flood, Mio (Honoka Matsumoto) finds herself in the care of a restaurant owner. Under the so-called Missus, Mio found her talent for cooking.
A few years passed, the Missus's restaurant had to close. They relocated to the Edo region, and Mio found work as a cook. Her talent has become widespread news around the area, attracting attention left and right. It eventually reaches a high-ranking courtesan, which is also her long-lost best friend, Noe (Nao).
"Mio’s Cookbook" takes its time in laying down the story. That’s why it’s easy to dismiss it as a plain and dull drama.
It’s difficult to really get the point of Mio’s journey with all of the unnecessary plot points. The weak storytelling clouds the overall essence of the film.
Also, the main characters are somewhat flat. The emotions they show aren't vivid or strong enough to make me care about them to invest in their triumphs.
There’s not much in "Mio’s Cookbook" that can make it interesting. It’s too long for its own good and too uninspired.
1.5/5
There’s no problem that cannot be resolved. That’s the core theme of Shinobu Yaguchi's breakout movie, "Happy Flight."
Today is the day that Kazuhiro Suzuki (Seiichi Tanabe) will be able to qualify as a captain. He only needs to pass a real flight test facilitated by the strict Captain Noriyoshi Harada (Saburō Tokitō).
Meanwhile, Suzuki’s roster of flight attendants includes the veteran Reiko Yamazaki (Shinobu Terajima) and the young Etsuko Saito (Haruka Ayase).
As their plane travels from Haneda Airport to Honolulu, Suzuki starts to feel that there is something wrong. So, as an emergency measure, they informed the crew that they would return to Haneda. However, the challenge to them is to the manage the displeasure of the passengers and landing the plane safely with all of its technical difficulties.
It’s easy to identify "Happy Flight" as a comedy. It centers around unlikely and quirky heroes. But this film, albeit light, does not really focus on forcing the audience to crack at its jokes. Yes, the fumbles and mistakes the protagonists make are funny. Like making a heartfelt speech on the wrong radio or dropping smelly stomach pills during a turbulence. However, the film reminds us that these are all honest mistakes and not a big deal.
As the film suggests, every problem has a solution. "Happy Flight" focuses on happy resolutions. And it will surely leave you happy by the end. Each character emits a ray of sunshine that keeps everything on screen bright. It’s all smiles and fun. Which makes it a unique movie from start to finish.
4/5
"Ito" is slow and steady heartfelt narrative about home.
Ito Soma (Ren Komai) is a shy teenage girl. All her life, she has been running away from her peers and playing the shamisen with her grandma.
Until one day, despite the disapproval of her father (Etsushi Toyokawa), Ito decided to work part-time at a maid cafe in Aomori. It’s a weird job for someone as timid as Ito, but she still perseveres. In the shop, she meets Sachiko (Mei Kurokawa), Tomomi (Mayuu Yokota), and Kudo (Ayumu Nakajima). all of which helped her overcome her insecurities and challenges.
Of all the films in the festival, this one feels the most genuine. It’s a memorable narrative that talks about home and the past. The lightness and the humor shine through despite its simple narrative and lack of energy.
But what truly carries the film is Ren Komai’s brilliant performance. Her nuances and awkwardness make her character so charming and endearing. Supporting characters such as Etsushi Toyokawa and Mei Kurokawa also did a great job with the material given to them.
3.5/5