The Japan Society Review

Directed by Ito Shiori The Oscar-nominated documentary in which Japanese journalist and filmmaker Ito Shiori seeks to expose the truth about the sexual assault she suffered in 2015. Review by Mayumi Donovan

Directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s new film is without doubt one of the most divisive films of the year. With awards at BFI London Film Festival and Venice Film Festival in 2023 but also with many finding the film puzzling, wanting, or even lacking. Review by Michael Tsang

Directed by Miyazaki Hayao Released in Japan as How Do You Live? (Kimitachi wa do ikiru ka), the film might not be Miyazaki’s final film, but it certainly feels like a swan song and an homage to his illustrious career. Review by Shehrazade Zafar-Arif

Directed by Hara Keiichi Lonely Castle in the Mirror is a brilliant animated adaptation of Tsujimura’s Mizuki’s popular novel of the same name title. Review by Eleanor Garrett

Directed by Hayakawa Chie Plan 75 focuses on the issues related to the ageing population, and the policies brought in to remedy it. What is most harrowing about the film is its feeling of imminent reality. Review by Chris Corker

Directed by Yamazaki Takashi Closing in on the 70th anniversary of the franchise, this film is not only a return to a Godzilla with the presence to incite terror and to a landscape ravaged by war, but also a return to the true cautionary warning that Godzilla embodies: the pitfalls of unshackled progress. Review by Chris Corker

Directed by Hamaguchi Ryusuke Based on a Murakami Haruki’s story, Oscar winning film Drive My Car explores issues related to individual, national and international trauma through a curated film style and aesthetics. Review by Michael Tsang

Directed by Graham Kolbeins Queer Japan, directed by Graham Kolbeins in 2019, is a documentary which explores the LGBTQ+ community in Japan offering an illustrative view of the queer culture in the country. Review by Jenni Schofield

Written and directed by Hikari 37 Seconds explores the coming-of-age story of Yuma, a woman with cerebral palsy, and her quest to become more independent from her overbearing mother. Review by Jenni Schofield

Directed by Stephen Scott for Netflix A six-part Netflix historical documentary series, Age of Samurai retells the final decades of the Sengoku Jidai, a 150-year period of near continuous civil war, examining the reunification of Japan through the rise of three figures: Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu. Review by Riyoko Shibe