nwFilmCenter

Japanese Currents

Like Japanese fashion and pop culture, Japanese film is in the international vanguard with a new generation of auteurs making their stamp with their off-kilter takes on period genre films, super-kitsch imagery, digital wizardry and eye-popping animé. This sampling of heralded recent films shows a wealth of creative invention and a fresh take on Japanese culture today. Presented by the Northwest Film Center and the Japan-America Society of Oregon. Special thanks to Northwest Airlines and Alterman Law Office for their sponsorship.

Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 7:30 PM	ALWAYS: SUNSET ON THIRD STREET 2 DIRECTOR: TAKASHI YAMAZAKI JAPAN The magna-inspired sequel to the first ALWAYS (shown in last year's Japanese Currents), an international hit, is set in the spring of 1959, four months after the events of the first film. The 1964 Olympics in Tokyo has officially been announced and Japan is rushing headlong into an era of modernization and prosperity. Chagawa still loves Hiromi though she has left, and he continues living with Junnosuke. Meanwhile, Norifumi, proprietor of the Suzuki Auto shop on Third Street, dreams of expanding the family business. Japan's best actors populate this charming, nostalgic throwback to a more innocent time, and top-notch production design and special effects recreate post-war Tokyo with exacting verisimilitude. Winner so far of 29 international awards, including 12 Japanese Academy Awards, ALWAYS 2 manages to appeal to young and old with its riveting digital visuals and epic celebration of the traditional values of friendship, hard work, sacrifice and family commitment. ( 147 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 3:15 PM	I JUST DIDN'T DO IT DIRECTOR: MASAYUKI SUO JAPAN In a completely different tone from his internationally popular film SHALL WE DANCE, Suo chronicles the story of Teppei (Ryo Kayse), a young man accused of groping a schoolgirl on a crowded Tokyo train. Arrested, he is urged to confess and be done with it, but he protests his innocence and plunges into a Kafka-esque nightmare of imprisonment, interviews, court hearings and frustrating adjournments. Recalling Hitchcock's THE WRONG MAN, I JUST DIDN'T DO IT reveals a flawed justice system, in which the presumption of innocence is basically non-existent. "Normally the ideas for my films come to me as wonderful discoveries about life; things that take me by surprise, that delight and inspire. This time, what I discovered was a sense of outrage within myself." –Masayuki Suo. Japan's 2007 submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. ( 143 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 6:30 PM	STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES DIRECTOR: HITOSHI YAZAKI JAPAN Based on a Japanese comic book, the sensitive and warm STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES, considered by many critics to be the best Japanese film of the year, follows the ups and downs of four young women in Tokyo looking for love. The strands of their stories are skillfully woven into a flawless whole, though the entire quartet coalesces—by chance—only in the closing moments. Satoko is an upbeat and resilient receptionist at a brothel. Akiyo is a professional, willing to do things for extra money the other women won't; but changes into a T-shirt and sweats as soon as she gets home and searches for any excuse to get together with Kikuchi, an old college pal for whom she harbors more than platonic feelings. Artist Toko (Toko Iwase, the stage name for comic book creator Kiriko Nananan) and Chihiro share an apartment, though the two might as well live in different worlds. All Chihiro wants is to be a perfect wife to her boyfriend. While exploring familiar themes, Yazaki makes them all seem fresh thanks to his inventive style and sensitivity to the yearnings of these disparate young women. ( 127 min ) ^ Top
Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 9:15 PM	BIG MAN JAPAN DIRECTOR: HITOSHI MATSUMOTO JAPAN Daisato, a middle-aged slacker, lives a mundane life in a rundown house. He seems a puzzling choice for the documentary crew that is filming his banal daily routine. That is, until he prepares for his "job." As bolts of electricity rip through the sky, Daisato is transformed into a stocky giant several stories high, sporting tight purple briefs, tattoos and an Eraserhead-style hairdo. This sixth-generation superhero defends Japan from ridiculous villains that include the freak with the comb-over hairdo who pulls down skyscrapers with elastic arms, and a revolting beast that lets rip stink clouds. Director Matsumoto, a superstar comedian in Japan, showers BIG MAN JAPAN with color and verve, satirizing talking head-style documentaries, the omnipresence of advertising and the ephemeral nature of popular culture along the way. An unforgettable climax populated with numerous baddies and heroes caps an entertaining and amusingly outrageous future cult classic. ( 113 min ) ^ Top
Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 4 PM	SWAY DIRECTOR: MIWA NISHIKAWA JAPAN Takeru, a successful photographer in Tokyo, reluctantly returns to his hometown for a visit. There he runs into Chieko, the girlfriend he left behind years before when he escaped the small town to pursue his career in Tokyo. She now works for his brother Monoru at the family gas station. For a daytrip, the three drive to a dramatic local nature spot, where Chieko has a fatal accident. Monoru is arrested and charged with murder. With Takeru as the only witness, Monoru's defense hangs on his brother's testimony. As the trial progresses, years of long-suppressed anger, jealousy and resentment surface, and Takeru becomes unsure of what he actually saw that day. ( 120 min ) ^ Top
Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 6:30 PM	TOKYO TOWER: ME, MOM AND SOMETIMES DAD DIRECTOR: JOJI MATSUOKA JAPAN "The broadcasting tower, a symbol of post-war Japanese economic recovery, gets the Empire State's 'Sleepless in Seattle' treatment by becoming a symbol for familial love. Talented but lazy illustrator Masaya leaves his small Kyushu mining town to spend his youth drifting through Tokyo's bohemian university scene and living the life of irresponsible decadence. All the while mom is supporting him both financially and with words of encouragement that often go in one ear and out the other. Criss-crossing between Masaya's childhood and adult life as he watches over his mother suffering from cancer, we see Masaya transform from a selfish boy to a responsible and caring man. A superb cast and excellent story has made TOKYO TOWER one of the biggest blockbusters of Japan this year."– Variety. ( 142 min ) ^ Top