Free Movies at the Mall! Japanese Films at the Shangrila Cineplex
Starting today, a series of Japanese films are shown at the Shangrila Cineplex and I believe that admission is free. EIGASAI 2008 is brought to us by The Japan Foundation, Manila. Here are some film synopsis directly copied from movie flyers, slightly edited because the original copy really is straight ENGRISH. Click here for film schedules.
A Stranger of Mine – Unmei ja nai Hito
Director: Uchida Kenji
Synopsis:
The film begins with an unmistakable sense of drama between two strangers who had their share of misfortune. Maki (Kirishima Reika), an introverted woman who just decided to leave her fiancée when she found out about his infidelity and Miyata (Nakamura Yasuhi), a timid office worker who finds it hard to get his life back on track after being dumped by his fiancée. The character’s destinies become entwined when Kanda (Yamanaka So) – an unlucky detective and childhood friend of Miayata’s – makes them share a table in a restaurant.
A Stranger of Mine was ranked as the 5th best film at the 79th Kinema Junpo best ten of 2005, and is the feature debut of Uchida Kenji, one of the rare Japanese directors who studied abroad, namely at the San Francisco State University. He won several awards at the Pia Film Festival for his short film Weekend Blues (2001), which helped him get a PPF Scholarship to make this movie, which in turn earned several prizes at the Cannes Film Festival. Uchida is known as a director who emphasizes the script, and A Stranger of Mine features a quite complicated set of intricately interrelated stories that revolve around the axial restaurant scene that is shown several times from different perspectives. What functions as the real centre, however, is the relationship between men and women, contrasting the idealistic Takeshi with the realistic Yusuke and the cynical Ayumi. The title, which is better translated as “A Person Who Is Not My Fated Partner”, asks in a story full of coincidences, whether any of these chance encounters can be considered as fate, romantic or not.
Juvenile Jungle – Kurutta Kajitsu
Director: Nakahira Ko
Synopsis:
This film is about a bunch of young men who live the good life in post-war Japan. The film focuses on two brothers and their mutual affection for a beautiful young lady named Eri. First it’s the younger brother Haruji who is able to woo her. Then the older brother Natsuhisa goes for her, out of both desire and jealousy. Eri turns out to be married to an American who spends very little time with her thus enabling Eri to be involved with these affairs.
Kurutta Kajitsu is a story about two brothers competing for the affection of one woman. The brothers are part of a group of teenagers who congregate around their wealthy American friend. Things take a turn for the worse when each brother realizes that the object of their affection is not as innocent as she seems. The film is directed by Nakahira Ko and was adapted from the novel made by Ishihara Shintaro, a novelist and a politician.
We Shall Overcome Someday – Pacchigi
Director: Izutsu Kazuyuki
Synopsis:
This film takes place in 1968 in Kyoto, Japan. The background of it is the turmoil of the 1960’s and the relationship between Japanese and Koreans in Japan. The story begins when members of the karate group of a Kyoto high school insult two girls from a Korean high school. A war breaks out when the Korean girls get the boys from their school, led by a boy named Lee Ang-Son, to seek revenge. The Japanese boys are reprimanded by their teacher, and two boys, Kosuke and Norio, are told to go to the Korean high school and make a peace offering: to have the two schools play a friendly match of soccer. While they are at the school, Kosuke hears the sound of a beautiful song of Ang-Son’s little sister, Kyung-Ja, a non-violent, peaceful, 2nd year high school student who is part of a band. He finds himself drawn to the young girl and the sound of the Korean folk-song “Imjing River”. He steps over the ethnic divide and becomes friendly with Ang-Son and his rough-neck gang.
Kosuke now finds himself part of the gang until an accident kills one of the Korean boys and Kosuke bears the brunt of the family’s anger. He begins to fully understand the anger felt by the Korean community toward the Japanese community through the music and words of the folk song. On the other hand, Ang-Son finds he has unknowingly gotten his girlfriend pregnant. Ang-Son’s plans shifted now that he is going to be a father and realizes that he must grow up.
We Shall Overcome Someday was ranked the best Japanese film of 2005 by the Kinema Junpo. Izutsu Kayuzuki, the director, received two Japanese Academy Award nominations for writing and directing this film.
*more film synopsis to come. Click here for film schedules
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