Category: Non-English Film

Posted on | No Comments |

Ikebana (1957)/Tokyo 1958 (1958)/Hokusai (1953)/Ako (1964)

These were all short films that were included in the Criterion DVD set of Hiroshi Teshigahara films. The first three are all documentaries of varying quality. Ikebana discusses the Japanese art of flower arranging. It offers an interesting look into some beautiful pieces of artwork that expands beyond just flowers in a vase. Tokyo 1958 gives a glimpse into life in Tokyo during the late 1950s when its population was the largest in the world. Hokusai chronicles the life of the life of the artist. I thought I’d be most interested in this one because I’ve always liked the Great Wave Off Kanagawa, but for some reason, perhaps just its poor quality, it was a bit dull for me.

Ako is different than the other three shorts as it is a narrative film following a day in the life of a sixteen year old bakery worker. It’s a bit avant-garde in its presentation with dialogue that doesn’t match the film and often crosses over each other. The action is not told in a linear fashion either moving from work day to after hours and back again. Regardless, it’s an engrossing glimpse into the daily experiences of a group of 1960s Japanese teenagers.

Posted on | No Comments |

The Face of Another (1966)

An engineer whose face was extremely disfigured in an industrial accident is despondent until a doctor advises an experimental facial prosthetic. The doctor suggests that the mask will change the engineer’s personality and revels in the experiences that seem to imply it has. On the surface, this is a more straightforward tale for Teshihagara, but interwoven is a more ambiguous tale of a woman who also has facial scars though to a lesser extent. Additionally there are other surreal elements, particularly in the sparse doctor’s office with its unusual decor and physics-bending backgrounds. The film proposes a number of theories with regards to identity and personality. I’m not sure I agree with much of it, but they are intriguing arguments regardless.

Posted on | No Comments |

Pitfall (1962)

An unemployed miner travels with his son to a deserted town after being lead to believe he’d find a job, only to be murdered by a mysterious man in white. The miner was the doppelganger of a union leader at a different mine and these events spurn a battle between two unions. This is my second Hiroshi Teshigahara film from a Criterion set that I borrowed and while I have found both of them engrossing, I’m sure there are bits I miss between the cultural differences. There is a lot of the film seemingly open to interpretation. The dead exist in an afterlife that parallels the real world. They are unable to interact with those still alive, completely frustrated in any attempt to bring the truth to light . The man in white remains a mysterious character throughout, swooping out as quickly as he swoops in.

Posted on | No Comments |

Tomboy (2011)

When a French family moves to a new apartment, 10 year old Zoé Héran is immediately mistaken for a boy, spending the rest of the summer being Mickaël amongst their new friends. With this new identity, they are able to throw off many of the prescribed gender norms, continuing to wear the clothes they like, roughhousing with the boys, and playing with makeup with girls. There is a lot of sensitivity in this portrayal, not even committing to how the character really feels about their gender, just that for this moment in time, they are enjoying the change in how people view them. Unfortunately many people, adults and children alike, don’t have the language available to discuss gender exploration and the idyllic summer must come to an end with the harsh realities of fall.

Posted on | No Comments |

Night and Fog (1956)

This French short documentary inordinately details the realities of the Nazi concentration camps, juxtaposing color footage taken at the time of the film with black and white stills and videos from the years of the Holocaust. Over the years I’ve read and seen much about the Holocaust, but never have I seen such a comprehensive recitation of what went on behind the walls of the camps. It includes everything from the most mundane details on architecture to the worst degradations that are beyond normal imagination. The horrors just continue to grow through the film and serve as a stark reminder that this could happen again. My only slight complaint about the film was the overuse of narration. It was often unnecessary, overly opinionated and almost detracted from the strength of the images themselves.

Posted on | No Comments |

Woman in the Dunes (1964)

When amateur entomologist Eiji Okada misses the last bus home after a beetle expedition, local villagers offer him board at a young woman’s cabin which sits on the bottom of a large sand dune. Unfortunately their hospitality masks ulterior motives. Initially, there’s quite a bit of privilege that Okada’s character holds in his situation. He can’t imagine this other way of living nor that people won’t rationalize things the same way he does. There’s a great claustrophobic atmosphere to the locale. The cabin is small and tightly packed with the dunes towering above, sand constantly trickling in at varying intervals.

Oscar Nominations: Best Director; Best Foreign Language Film

Posted on | No Comments |

Sansho the Bailiff (1954)

During feudal times in Japan, before an honorable governor is exiled to a far away land, he urges his son to always be merciful to others. Years later, after the governor’s two children are sold into slavery and his wife into prostitution, his son finds it hard to remember his father’s lesson. The film offers […]

Posted on | No Comments |

The Legend of Hei (2019)

When his forest home is destroyed by humans, cat demon Hei is taken in by a motley group of other demons. Before too long, he is kidnapped by a human who takes him on an extended journey where he learns more about his powers and the world at large. In the end, Hei must decide in the end where his loyalties lie. Serving as a prequel to a popular web series, the story isn’t particularly fresh view on environmental concerns, but it is beautifully animated. Many of the backgrounds particularly are gorgeous. I’m not a fan of cats, but Hei in cat form is endearingly rendered in a very simple form.

Posted on | No Comments |

Little Vampire (2020)

I’m often on the lookout for movies I can add to my various holiday repertoires. I had checked this out thinking it might work for Halloween time, but it’s a bit too weird for me. A never-aging 10-year old vampire would rather spend his time doing normal human child things like going to school and making friends, but has thus far been relegated to spending time in his haunted house home with a bevy of monsters. When he does befriend a living boy, they soon find themselves pursued by a moon-headed monster. It’s done in traditional animation, but I don’t find the style very appealing. It’s reminiscent of the quality of 1980s television cartoons without any of the nostalgia those contain.

Posted on | No Comments |

The Man Who Sold His Skin (2020)

Inspired by Wim Delvoye’s work Tim, Yahya Mahayni is a Syrian refugee who in desperation to reunite with the love of his life, agrees to become a living work of art by having a Schengen visa tattooed onto his back. By becoming something other than just human, he is allowed to travel in ways he was later afforded, but it is not long at all before he discovers he has made a deal with the devil and signed away the majority of his life in the process. It’s a dark, depressing look into the hopelessness that can be found in the experiences of poor refugees, being primed for exploitation byt the better off, which is unfortunately let down by a too-convenient ending.

Oscar Nomination: Best International Feature Film

Scroll to Top