The Philippines, 1972. Mysterious things are happening in a remote barrio. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are hacked to death, a man is found bleeding more
The Philippines, 1972. Mysterious things are happening in a remote barrio. Wails are heard from the forest, cows are hacked to death, a man is found bleeding to death at the crossroad and houses are burned. Ferdinand E. Marcos announces Proclamation No. 1081 putting the entire country under Martial Law. close
When plain orphan Elsa begins having visions of the Virgin Mary, the rest of the residents of her isolated village find themselves questioning their own more
When plain orphan Elsa begins having visions of the Virgin Mary, the rest of the residents of her isolated village find themselves questioning their own beliefs and values. Soon, Elsa is healing people with a variety of ailments. As word of this phenomenon spreads, tourists, pilgrims, patients and a documentary filmmaker all arrive on a quest to partake in the miracle. close
On the eve of the Russo-Japanese war at the beginning of the 20th century, small-town girl Okane has married an old wealthy man to escape a life of poverty. more
On the eve of the Russo-Japanese war at the beginning of the 20th century, small-town girl Okane has married an old wealthy man to escape a life of poverty. Upon her husband’s sudden death, she withdraws to her small farming village where she stoically submits to public opprobrium and lives the silent sullen life of a pariah. Along comes Seisaku, the local “model youth”, returning from his army duty: while she is the shame of the village, he is the pride of his community. Nevertheless, the disreputable beauty and the honorable patriot begin an unlikely and tumultuous love affair that will eventually render him as marginal as she. close
A salaryman faces a major life change as his firm undergoes financial difficulties. To add to his troubles, a man claiming to be his long-estranged father more
A salaryman faces a major life change as his firm undergoes financial difficulties. To add to his troubles, a man claiming to be his long-estranged father shows up at his house requesting shelter. One of the best of Somai's seriocomic studies of the messiness of family life. close
A divorced couple learns that the only way to possibly save their daughter, who is suffering from blood cancer, is to have another child. The problem is they've both already remarried.
A divorced couple learns that the only way to possibly save their daughter, who is suffering from blood cancer, is to have another child. The problem is they've both already remarried. close
16 years after the fateful "revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin," involving samurais from the Ako domain who avenged their leader and then commited seppuku more
16 years after the fateful "revenge of the Forty-seven Ronin," involving samurais from the Ako domain who avenged their leader and then commited seppuku (ritual suicide), the sole survivor of that incident, Kichiemon Terasaka (Koichi Sato) traverses the country on a mission. His purpose is to find the families of the fallen samurais and spread the truth of the ronin uprising. close
Yuri Kashiwaga was once known as a genius pianist. One day, she returns to her hometown in Goto Islands from Tokyo. There, she begins to work as a temporary more
Yuri Kashiwaga was once known as a genius pianist. One day, she returns to her hometown in Goto Islands from Tokyo. There, she begins to work as a temporary teacher at a middle school and advisor for the school chorus. The chorus aims to take part at a competition. Yuri gives the members of the chorus members an assignment. She instructs them to write a letter with the title of “To myself 15 years later.” The 15-year-old boys and girls write about their secrets and worries. close
Kimiko, a Tokyo white-collar working girl, lives with her serious, intellectual, haiku-writing mother. Kimiko seeks to marry her boyfriend but needs her more
Kimiko, a Tokyo white-collar working girl, lives with her serious, intellectual, haiku-writing mother. Kimiko seeks to marry her boyfriend but needs her absent father to act as the go-between and negotiate the marriage. Kimiko travels and finds her father living with a second family. close
Yu-Siang is blind – but he has a superb sense of hearing. Born in rural Taiwan, this extremely talented musician moves to the capital Taipei to study more
Yu-Siang is blind – but he has a superb sense of hearing. Born in rural Taiwan, this extremely talented musician moves to the capital Taipei to study the piano. But how will he manage on his own? Even the walk across campus from his halls of residence poses a challenge and he must learn how to make the trip step by step. Yu-Siang began winning awards for his piano playing as a young boy but he once overheard somebody saying he only won because of his blindness. Since then he has avoided public competitions – in spite of his teachers' encouragement. Yu-Siang is not interested in recognition: to him his musical development is more important. One day he meets a young woman working in a snack bar. She dreams of becoming a dancer. The encounter proves to be a turning point for both of them. close
Children who refuse to live with their families or give up on the streets work at a bar or steal money. When you don't have money, you'd rather starve more
Children who refuse to live with their families or give up on the streets work at a bar or steal money. When you don't have money, you'd rather starve than give up playing. Several people have to bowl as much as they want, jump out of the window with their lives, and dance with real dancers at a rock cafe. close
Based on a play by Hisashi Inoue, it focuses on the sufferings of the survivors of Hiroshima. The film takes place during 4 days in the summer of 1948, more
Based on a play by Hisashi Inoue, it focuses on the sufferings of the survivors of Hiroshima. The film takes place during 4 days in the summer of 1948, as the ghost of her father visits Mitsué (Rié Miyama). He had somehow learned that she has fallen in love, and tries to convince her to start her new life. But Mitsué obstinately refuses his warm and humorous encouragements : « People were killed in my place. I do not have the right to find happiness », she says. close
Na-young works at a post office and is sick and tired of being around her shamefully unyielding mother and her pushover father who's excessively nice. more
Na-young works at a post office and is sick and tired of being around her shamefully unyielding mother and her pushover father who's excessively nice. The only thing that she can look forward to is her trip abroad in a few days. But one day, her father leaves home without any notice. Her mother doesn't care what happens to him and doesn't care to look for him. Na-young has no choice but to give up her dream trip abroad and to search for her father instead. Once she arrives at her parents' hometown, Na-young is shocked to meet someone she'd never expect, even in her dreams. close
The movie focuses on the plight of ten war orphans hailing from different cities across Japan. With nowhere to go, they scavenge around train stations, more
The movie focuses on the plight of ten war orphans hailing from different cities across Japan. With nowhere to go, they scavenge around train stations, scratching out an existence by means of black market work for a one-legged tramp whilst avoiding being picked up by the police for vagrancy. Soon however, they find a more inspiring role model in the figure of a nameless soldier just repatriated after the war. An orphan himself, the soldier also has no home to return to, and so sets out across the country with the kids in tow in search of work before settling on the goal of leading them to the orphanage where he himself grew up. close
Yamashita Takako works in the food section of a department store. She pays frequent visits to a reputable local Chinese restaurant about opening an in-store more
Yamashita Takako works in the food section of a department store. She pays frequent visits to a reputable local Chinese restaurant about opening an in-store branch. The owner of the restaurant, Wang Qingkuo from Shanghai, who does all the cooking by himself, gives Takako the brush-off. One day, however, Wang collapses due to overwork, and is left with partial paralysis. Hearing the rumor of the restaurant’s closure, Takako resigns from the department store and becomes an apprentice to Wang. close
A real murder case which was complicated by the ménage à trois relationship the victim had with the main suspects. As different witnesses narrated their more
A real murder case which was complicated by the ménage à trois relationship the victim had with the main suspects. As different witnesses narrated their conflicting stories, the case seemed set to lead to nowhere; especially when the real identity of the dead person was finally discovered. close
In order to keep a promise he made to his wife, an old man sets off to her native village with a bird in a cage. Along the road, together with his granddaughter, more
In order to keep a promise he made to his wife, an old man sets off to her native village with a bird in a cage. Along the road, together with his granddaughter, he discovers new values, particularly those related to the heart. close
The story follows a young man as he changes from an intelligently aware youth, to a teenager with much less confidence than he once had, and finally, to a stable adult.
The story follows a young man as he changes from an intelligently aware youth, to a teenager with much less confidence than he once had, and finally, to a stable adult. close
The Chimp is the nickname of a teenage boy (with large ears) who lives in the small town of Balyktchy, Kirghizstan, a former part of the USSR in central more
The Chimp is the nickname of a teenage boy (with large ears) who lives in the small town of Balyktchy, Kirghizstan, a former part of the USSR in central Asia. His family is being torn apart by his dad's alcoholism, his emotions are being torn as he sees his friends pair off into couples, and his job working on the railtracks is uninspiring. close
On his way to China, where he is to meet a longtime lost cousin, Kim, a filmmaker, meets a young woman, Young-hwa. When he meets her a second time in more
On his way to China, where he is to meet a longtime lost cousin, Kim, a filmmaker, meets a young woman, Young-hwa. When he meets her a second time in a hotel, he decides to follow her until Tae-bak, where she meets up with her sister. close
4 directors, each of whom created a story about the relationship of man with animals. My Little Sister is the story of a six-year-old girl and her dog, more
4 directors, each of whom created a story about the relationship of man with animals. My Little Sister is the story of a six-year-old girl and her dog, whom she considers her sister. When her mother becomes pregnant for the second time, the family decides to live without a dog. The main character is an unmarried girl who takes care of all the stray cats in the area, which causes disapproval from her father. She spends all her time, money and energy taking care of animals. But it is this care that brings their family together. "Joo Joo" - the main characters - a tramp Yong Jin and a dog attached to him, which he named Joo Joo. "Sorry and Thank You" is a young but hard-working woman who, after the sudden death of her father, inherits his dog. Caring for her father’s dog makes her think about her life, and she learns to appreciate simple joys. close
With World War II is coming to its end and Japan nearing defeat, Japanese military leaders step up suicide attacks on Allied ships. Toei legend Koji Tsuruta more
With World War II is coming to its end and Japan nearing defeat, Japanese military leaders step up suicide attacks on Allied ships. Toei legend Koji Tsuruta stars as a Kamikaze squad leader who has second thoughts about suicide runs. He becomes torn between his own morality and his duty to his country when he must deal with a pilot under his command who refuses to complete his mission. close
Biographical film about the life of famous photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and his wife Yoko Araki.
Slow storytelling. Muffled paint. Sentimentality.
A film more
Biographical film about the life of famous photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and his wife Yoko Araki.
Slow storytelling. Muffled paint. Sentimentality.
A film about the joys of life, about which many in the modern world, simply forgot. close
Wang Xiao Nan, a 24-year-old Chinese performer of Korean folk dance, is shaken when her mentor and grandmother, Chen Xiu Zhen, gives her the thumbs down more
Wang Xiao Nan, a 24-year-old Chinese performer of Korean folk dance, is shaken when her mentor and grandmother, Chen Xiu Zhen, gives her the thumbs down during the semi-final of a dance competition, despite the praise of the judges. Upset that, after 17 years of training, she still can’t satisfy Chen Xiu Zhen, Wang Xiao Nan only grudgingly agrees to accompany her dance-school head, Ling Jian Hua on a 10-day cultural-exchange trip to North Korea. (Source: My Dramalist) close
Upon reaching the train station to death, a dejected soul is informed that he is "lucky" and will have another chance at life. He is placed in the body more
Upon reaching the train station to death, a dejected soul is informed that he is "lucky" and will have another chance at life. He is placed in the body of a 14-year-old boy named Makoto Kobayashi, who has just committed suicide. close
The quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the arrival of a man who ignites flames of romance in the heart more
The quiet life of a mother and her young son living on a farm in Hokkaido is changed by the arrival of a man who ignites flames of romance in the heart of the mother and shows her boy the importance of grit and kindness, but then he leaves with the autumn wind. close
