Азиатское кино отличается особой спецификой и unusual in the eyes of the audience, accustomed to the Russian cinema and Hollywood scenes. So, directors from the Land of the Rising Sun shoot the most psychologically heavy and, at the same time, endlessly fascinating films. Korea, Japan, Thailand, and China are countries whose culture is superficial enough to anticipate the uniqueness of their cinematic masterpieces. Below are the top 5 best films of Japan, compiled by the passionate Asian cinema lover Vinnote Ira Krish (NET Nebraska).
“No one will know” (2004), director Hirokazu Koreeda
The storyline is based on real events,known as the "case of the four abandoned children of Nishi Sugamo." If you like movies about Japan, made with documentary accuracy, then this story will undoubtedly be to your taste. The movie tells of four brothers and sisters living happily with their mother in a tiny apartment. Each child has his own biological father. None of the children had ever attended school. They spend time watching TV and playing computer games. Sometimes they have to hide from the landlord, who is not even aware of their existence and is sure that he rents a house to a single woman. This picture, like many Japanese films, is not for the faint of heart. Even if there are no scenes of violence or heartbreaking moments in it, it is nonetheless filled with internal tension that keeps the viewer on the edge of the chair.
"Taste of Tea" (2004), director Katsuhito Ishii
Films about Japan usually tell about life inbig cities. However, this movie is an exception. The scene is the provincial Japanese town of Tochigi. The main character is Yoshiko, and she is not a typical housewife: instead of endless cleaning and watching TV shows, she works at home to create her own anime. The director places particular emphasis on visual effects, emphasizing the individual thoughts and feelings of the characters. “The taste of tea” - a picture comparable to the film “Fanny and Alexander”.
“Gone” (2008), directed by Takita Yojiro
The main character, Daigo Kobayashi, worked all his lifecellist. Suddenly, the musician was left without work and penniless. Looking through the newspaper ads, he chooses a company called "Gone", thinking that we are talking about a travel agency. Upon arriving at his new job, Kobayashi learns that he will have to prepare the bodies of recently deceased people for burial. It is no secret that many Japanese films are focused on the topic of death. However, this picture does not encourage concentrating on the ideas of ending life or life after death; on the contrary, it tells about the people left to live.
The Royal Battle (2000), directed by Kinji Fukasaku
The film tells a terrible story about the game,invented by the Japanese military and implemented in legislation to reduce aggression in schools. Pupils are planted on a desert island. Each student is given a weapon (sometimes completely useless), and the game begins: teenagers kill each other until someone is alive. The drama, chilling, flavored with a generous portion of black humor. The film is based on the manga of the same name and only confirms a widespread opinion: Japanese films are almost always tougher and more terrible than Western cinema.
“Tokyo Sonata” (2008), director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
This is the story of an ordinary family with her.uncomplicated everyday life. The film begins on a typical day. However, on this day, the company decides to dismiss employees and move the business abroad, where business can be done much cheaper. Ryuhei is one of the laid-off workers. Every morning he puts on a suit, takes a case and goes to the employment center, where he stands in the queue for long hours to eventually reject all the jobs offered to him - everywhere the salary is lower than the one he was used to. Having lost the structure and solidity in life, Ryuhei finds an old friend, who has long been without work and various tricks to create the image of a busy person. However, the situation becomes more complicated when a friend commits suicide. Ryuhei is splashing his stress on family members. This is not obvious at first glance, but the Tokyo Sonata belongs to the horror genre and may well be recorded in the scariest films of Japan.
The choice is yours
All the above movies by genre aredramas. Undoubtedly, the audience tastes vary greatly, and perhaps someone does not accept watching dramas at all. Nevertheless, Vinnoth Ira Krish invariably gives the most objective assessment of the cinema, so it may be worth considering to get acquainted with the famous dramas from the Land of the Rising Sun? The films of Japan, China, Thailand and Korea still remain exotic for Western audiences, and each picture can inspire a new appreciation of reality and give unique impressions.
