“A splendid debut by Shuna Iijima.”
Mar 27, 2022 • Subscribe
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Short Movie Time: Outsourcing (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A very satisfying satirical short thta shows that, within the job-seeking process, only the image matters.”
Short Movie Time: Bagmati River (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A beautiful poetic short that elegantly plays with the contrast between life and death.”
Short movie time: North Shinjuku 2055 (2021) review [OAFF 2022]
“A pleasant experimental short.”
Short Movie Time: Shall We Love You? (2022) [OAFF 2023]
A nice little heart-warming short that questions the connection between love and happiness.
Short Movie Time: Perfect・Nervous (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
An exquisitely crafted narrative that touchingly shows that a simple encounter, a simple exchange of signifiers, can turn a wish to die into a desire to life.
Short Movie Time: Kanro (2023) [OAFF 2023]
A simple but effective short that explores inter-subjective distance and the desire to bridge it in a surprising and satisfying way.
Short Movie Time: On a Boat (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
The exploration of the frail stability of an obsessional neurotic does not miss its impact on the spectator.
Short Movie Time: Detouring Blue (2023) (OAFF 2023)
A highly recommended short that touchingly shows that what dooms the subject to the de-subjectifying effect of the societal Other or to the birth of a subjective deadlock…
Short Movie Time: TOMA #2 (2023) [OAFF 2023]
A touching narrative that explores the difficulty for the subject to give the Othering effect of dementia on a family member a place
Short Movie Time: Ririka of the Star (2024) review [OAFF 2024]
A narrative that does not merely emphasize the beauty of moving female body, but reveals that such beauty can change subjects.
Short Movie Review: Faaawww!!! (2022) [JFFH 2023]
Oniki’s twisted finale does not only visually impress but also underlines that the hunger of the Uber-Ich is never stilled.
Short Movie Time: Kaiju Girl (2022) review
A pleasant short about the need to find a desire to be able to give direction to one’s subject.
Short movie time: Norioka Workshop (2022) review
A great short film that illustrates the necessity as well as the inherent danger of the imaginary dimension in social interactions.
Short movie Time: The Stolen Ocean (2022) review [JFFH 2022]
Noaya Asanuma proves that he has a creative voice worth listening too.
Random Call (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
Ohkanda’s narrative proves that one does not need a big budget to deliver a narrative that touches the spectator.
Melting Sounds (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“Kahori Higashi’s debut is impressive.”
Angry Son (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“An incredibly rich and deep narrative that not only delivers a satisfying coming-of-age story but also an elegantly delivered social commentary on some of the frictions marking Japanese…
Short Movie Time: Necessary & unnecessary (2022) review [JFFH 2023]
A quirky little narrative that explores the necessity of forming inter-subjective social bonds.
Short Movie Time: After Winter, the Tamaki Family… (2023) [OAFF 2023]
A genuine and heartfelt tribute the grandmother of the Tamaki family
Short Movie Time: Kyonetsu (2017) [JFFH 2020]
An impressive narrative that, due to its short runtime, leaves the spectator wanting more.
Short Movie Time: Born Pisces (2020) review [Japan Cuts 2021]
“Yamanaka does not only reaffirm that she has talent but also that she improved her compositional style and her storytelling.”
Our House Party (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
Kawanobe delivers a very touching and emotional story about homosexuality in Japan.
Short Movie Time: Glitch (2022) [JFFH 2023]
A pleasant horror-action that beautifully shows that what can poison the subject is the Other he is subjected to.
Short movie time: Reason To Oblivion (2021) review [JFFH 2022]
A pleasant horror short-narrative that showcases Miyahara’s talent.
Short movie time: Laundromat on the Corner (2020)
“A very pleasant horror-romance short narrative.”
OAFF 2022 Special
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss their favorite movies from the wonderful 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival. Timestamps:2:53 - Media Consumption19:12 - News23:42…
OAFF 2022 Special
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss their favorite movies from the wonderful 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival. Timestamps:2:53 - Media Consumption19:12 - News23:42…
OAFF 2022 Special
Hello everyone, In this special episode of Heroic Purgatory, John and Jason discuss their favorite movies from the wonderful 2022 Osaka Asian Film Festival. Timestamps:2:53 - Media Consumption19:12 - News23:42…
Boy Sprouted (Japan, 2021) [OAFF 2022/Short Shorts and Asian Film Festival 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Yuko Watanabe's short film Boy Sprouted.
Far Away, Further Away (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A beautiful film that elegantly explores the role the imaginary plays in marital failure as well as in the beginning of a new romantic bond.”
Short Movie Reviews
Havent done one of these in a while. *** American History X - 5.5/10. Ah yes, this movie about a guys transformation into a Neo-Nazi and later reformation.…
Short Movie time: Canary (2023) review
Taka Jeremy Tsubota confirms his talent as director.
Howling (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews M Haris Sheikh's neo noir Howling.
Short Movie Time: Bath House of Whales (2019) review [Japan Cuts 2020]
Introduction Mizuki Kiyama’s graduation short film Bath House of Whales is a creative reworking of her memories of accompanying her mother, a person of Korean descent living in…
The Light Of The Spring (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“An experimental ‘dramamentary’ that succeeds to charm and touch the spectator with its rich mundane and genuine interactions.”
Sanka: Nomads of the Mountains (2022) review [OAFF 2022]
“A visually enticing narrative that elegantly explores the unresolvable tension between the societal Other and the subject.”
Short critiques: Homestay (2022) review
Seta’s narrative is, despite its flaws, a pleasant narrative that offers an important message.
Short movie Time: Nowhere To Go But Everywhere (2022) [IFFR 2022]
“An incredible short that explores the subjective impact of the lack of materiality (i.e. bones) on the process of mourning in a very intimate way.”
Short Movie Time: Kitten (2022) review [Skip City International D-Cinema Festival]
Yamaguchi elegantly underlines the importance of showing one’s Otherness to the other and the problematic nature of succumbing to the seduction of deceiving oneself by reflecting sameness to…
Short Movie Time: Similarity (2022) review [Skip City International D-Cinema Festival]
A highly enjoyable short by Kiichiro Kimura.
Short Movie Time: My Wings Became My Legs (2022) review [JFHH 2023]
A pleasant comical short that highlights that the idea of adulthood is a suffocating but unattainable ideal.
Random Call (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Riki Ohkanda's comedy-drama Random Call.
Angry Son (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Kashou Iizuka's drama Angry Son.
Bagmati River (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Yusaku Matsumoto's short film Bagmati River.
Summer Wedding (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Azusa Hieda’s short film Summer Wedding.
JOINT (Japan, 2020) [OAFF 2021]
Jason Maher reviews Oudai Kojima’s debut feature JOINT.
Short Movie Reviews Again
Cardcaptor Sakura The Movie - 8/10. Its been years since Ive last seen this, and now that Ive seen the entire series, I have a better understanding of…
Ask For The Moon (2022) review [OAFF 2024]
A satisfying narrative that illustrates how the subject’s ego is but a response to his complexes and struggles.
Short Movie Time: Storage Man (2022) review [Skip City International D-Cinema Festival]
Tetsuro Manno proves that he has mastered the drama-genre and shows off his ability to create a quite thematically dense experience.
North Shinjuku 2055 (Japan, 2022) [OAFF 2022]
Jason Maher reviews Daisuke Miyazaki's sci-fi short North Shinjuku 2055.