shoplifters

Film Nov 14, 2019

Japan's decade of 'closed country' cinema

by James Hadfield

As Japanese box office figures hit record highs in the 2010s, the country's film industry became increasingly insular

Film Mar 27, 2019

Kengo Kora and the perfect period drama sword fight

by Matthew Hernon

'Game of Thrones" star Sean Bean is well-known for dying in almost everything he stars in. If you had to find a Japanese equivalent, though, it would certainly be Kengo Kora. Since his 2006 big-screen debut, the Kumamoto native has featured in around 50 films, ...

Film | Wide Angle Mar 7, 2019

Seeking out Japanese movies at a film festival in Bangalore

by Mark Schilling

Going to Bangalore, a city of more than 10 million people in India's south, to spend five days watching movies is not the sort of thing I usually do. Which is exactly why I agreed to serve on a jury for the Network for ...

Film | Wide Angle Feb 14, 2019

Could 'Shoplifters' or 'Mirai' pick up an Oscar? The chances are slim but real

by Mark Schilling

The 2019 Oscar race is entering its final stretch, with prognosticators already unveiling their lists of winners. This year two Japanese films are up for Academy Awards — Hirokazu Kore-eda's "Shoplifters" (best foreign language film) and Mamoru Hosoda's "Mirai" (best animated feature film). An executive ...

Film Dec 19, 2018

As two rule breakers gave the Japanese film world hope in 2018, elsewhere eyes turned to China

by Mark Schilling

The Japanese movie business is something like a restaurant where new cooks and waiters arrive as old ones retire or die, but the menu remains much the same, decade after decade. This year, similar to every year going back to the 1980s and beyond, the ...

Film Jun 28, 2018

Actress Kirin Kiki wants an ending with no twists

by Mai Yoshikawa

When life gave her lemons, film star Kirin Kiki didn't make lemonade, but wild grass enzyme juice. It's the only thing that has satisfied her taste buds since her advanced-stage cancer caused her to lose her appetite, and even her desire for alcohol has vanished ...

Film / Reviews Jun 13, 2018

'Shoplifters': Kore-eda's Palme d'Or winner is an eloquent look at the human condition

by Mark Schilling

When a Japanese director wins the Palme d'Or — the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival, the film world's equivalent of soccer's World Cup — the response of the local media is to celebrate: Our side won. Making the victory sweeter for Hirokazu Kore-eda ...

National / Media | DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN Jun 2, 2018

Can Hirokazu Kore-eda's success with 'Shoplifters' shed some light on poverty in Japan?

by Jake Adelstein

Director Hirokazu Kore-eda recently won the Palme d'Or at Cannes for "Shoplifters," a critically acclaimed family drama that was partially inspired by real-life events. It attempts to depict a slice of life in which people are struggling to make ends meet, a set of circumstances ...