Third Window Films have a great line-up of films from Korea and Japan getting a release this year but the one that I think everybody should be looking out for is Shady.
SHADY
Japan / 2012 / 94 Mins / In Japanese with English subtitles / Colour
Starring: Mimpi*β, Izumi Okamura
Out on DVD March 24th, 2014
DVD Special Features
Anamorphic Widescreen transfer with 5.1 Surround Sound
Interviews with director Ryohei Watanabe and actresses Mimpi*β & Izumi Okamura
Because of her last name “Kumada” (bear + rice paddy) and her appearance, Misa’s high school classmates call her “Pooh” disparagingly. She obviously has no friends and can only let down her guard around her pet parrot and the goldfish in the science room at school. But then she finds herself quickly becoming best friends with Izumi, a cute and popular classmate. Although somewhat puzzled by Izumi’s interest in her, Misa is excited about having a friend for the first time ever. But Izumi’s initial angelic demeanor gradually transforms…
I saw Shady at last year’s Raindance Film Festival and I was blown away. It is like a mixture of Shunji Iwai’s school-based films and some dark psychological stuff you would see in Roman Polanski’s films back when he was living in Britain. I was sucked in at the start and gripped all the way through to the finish. What makes it more remarkable is that it is the debut film of Ryohei Watanabe and he made the film at the age of 24. He made it with only a £10,000 budget and yet it looks like a high class film, so refined and beautiful to look at and with great set and sound design and fantastic performances. I am so glad I caught it in a cinema! I thought the film was so good that I have taken to telling all sorts of people at my film club and Japanese class about it and alerting people to its upcoming release.
If you think Japanese cinema is all adaptations of manga and doramas (which it mostly is) then check this out and have your faith restored in the creative talents of Japanese filmmakers! I would consider it one of the best films I saw last year and I recommend that you purchase it!
I’ll get a review up the week after next so I can finish my Top Ten Films of 2013. I wonder where it will land… Hint: higher than three.
Definitely looking forward to this one! 🙂
It’s a great film. I cannot say too much about the plot because to give anything away is to risk spoiling it. I look forward to your review!
Hehe. Thanks! 😉
Wow you really think highly of this if it is in your top 3. Sounds interesting. I am honestly finding it difficult getting enthusiastic about new films. I’ve yet to see one this year. I was disappointed by the films I seen at VIFF last year and my annual Christmas day at the theatre movie American Hustle got on my last nerve. I am definitely going to have to ease into it. I’ll add this to the queue for later.
I always start off super-enthusiastic about films (or positive, at the very least) but sometimes I get disappointed by the results. Shady genuinely impressed me. Everything about it was perfect, in my opinion, and it was such an original film in many aspects as well. The fact it was made on such a low-budget really blows my mind because it looks and sounds more accomplished than a lot of bigger budget films. I think you will enjoy this one a lot because it has lots of elements you love
I liked American Hustle. It wasn’t anything super special but it was enjoyable and I adore Jennifer Lawrence and enjoyed her performance.
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