Mubi: Japanese movies
The best Japanese movies on Mubi.
Sexual Drive
Kôta Yoshida (2021)
Divided into three parts, at the center of which there is always Kurita (a troublesome man carrying a box of chestnuts) and the female libido strongly linked to aphrodisiac foods: natto, mapo tofu and ramen.
It's also in Movies and series about Japanese food.
Ramen shop
Eric Khoo (2018) - director originally from Singapore, the movie is set in Japan
The movieis set in the Japanese city Takasaki where Masato is the chef of a ramen bar. When he meets Miki, a food blogger, his life changes because from this meeting Masato will discover his origins from the maternal side.
It's also in Movies and series about Japanese food.
In the Realm of the Senses
愛のコリーダ, Nagisa Ōshima (1976)
Inspired by a true story that happened in Japan in the 1930s, the movie stars Sada Abe and Kichizo Ishida, united by a sensual bond until they reach a dramatic erotic cheat at the end.
It's also in Beautiful Japanese movies.
Pulse / Kairo
回路 , Kiyoshi Kurosawa (2001)
Based on the director's novel of the same name, the movie is set in Tokyo at the turn of the millennium, where the internet and computers have largely taken hold. A group of friends investigate the suicide of a friend, gradually making increasingly dark discoveries.
A prophetic film, the source of many imitations, a metaphor for loneliness and alienation.
Asako I & II
寝ても覚めても, Ryūsuke Hamaguchi (2018)
Asako is deeply in love with Baku, but when he suddenly disappears, the girl is shocked. Years later she meets a boy practically the same in Baku, Ryhoei, and she is deeply fascinated by him.
Sweet Bean
あん, Naomi Kawase (2015)
Sentaro, owner of a small dorayaki kiosk, decides to hire an elderly lady who is particularly good at preparing azuki bean jam (anko), although her health conditions are visibly precarious.
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Durian Sukegawa, equally moving and engaging.
It's also in Movies and series about Japanese food.
Les fruits de la passion
Shūji Terayama (1981)
Set in Shanghai, the film tells the story of a girl who falls in love with a wealthy man who is much older than her. As a game of submission, he puts her to work in a brothel.
The film is loosely based on the novel Return to Roissy (1969) by Dominique Aury under the pseudonym Pauline Réage.
