Shinji Aoyama

Directing

Shinji Aoyama

Born 1964-07-13 · Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan

Shinji Aoyama (July 13, 1964 - March 25, 2022) was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, composer, film critic, and novelist. He graduated from Rikkyo University. He won two awards at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for his film Eureka.

Acting credits

License to Live poster
6.3

Having fallen into a coma following a car accident at 14, Yutaka wakes ten years later and realizes that his family is no longer intact: father, mother and sister live at different places, so he decides to reopen the farm that his family once ran.

License to Live

1999

The Detective Who Can Say No poster
NR

Shinji Aoyama’s short film follows an unlikely pair of detectives—played by Susumu Terajima and filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa—as they navigate a quirky case with deadpan seriousness. Mixing parody with genre tropes, the film riffs on the idea of “The Detective Who Can Say No,” echoing the satirical spirit of its title while playfully undermining the conventions of Japanese cop dramas. Made for the omnibus film "Deka Matsuri"

The Detective Who Can Say No

2003

Barren Illusion poster
5.7

In a near future where allergies have become an epidemic, music producer Haru half-heartedly dates post office clerk and mail thief Michi. He searches for violent ways to reactivate his life, she dreams of escaping abroad; both volunteer to test a new drug which may provide a cure.

Barren Illusion

1999

Chloe poster
7.0

Kotaro and Kuroe marry almost immediately in a Christian ceremony and move into an apartment. Life is completely joyous until, one day, Kuroe falls ill.

Chloe

2001

Kijû Yoshida: What Is a Filmmaker? poster
NR

An overview of the life and work of legendary Japanese filmmaker Kijû Yoshida, a notable figure of the Japanese New Wave.

Kijû Yoshida: What Is a Filmmaker?

2008

Japanscope, panorama de la nouvelle Nouvelle Vague poster
NR

A “Cinéma, de notre temps” series episode directed by french filmmaker Philippe-Emmanuel Sorlin, originally aired 16 June 2015.

Japanscope, panorama de la nouvelle Nouvelle Vague

2015

Tampen poster
NR

Four short films produced without a director

Tampen

2001

Three☆Points poster
5.7

Three stories, depicted in three different styles, unfold in three locations: "Kyoto", a lyrical improvised drama based on documentar y footage following local rappers, which is blended with fiction; "Okinawa", a documentary about intriguing characters who Yamamoto met by chance; and " Tokyo", an otherworldly love story about a man dealing with loss who drifts through life, and a woman who pretends to be his deceased wife.

Three☆Points

2011

Behind the camera

Eureka poster
7.8

In rural Japan, the survivors of a tragedy converge and attempt to overcome their damaged selves, all while a serial killer is on the loose.

Eureka

2001

Eureka poster
7.8

In rural Japan, the survivors of a tragedy converge and attempt to overcome their damaged selves, all while a serial killer is on the loose.

Eureka

2001

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero poster
4.2

An anthology of one-minute films created by 51 international filmmakers on the theme of the death of cinema. Intended as an ode to 35mm, the film was screened one time only on a purpose-built 20x12 meter public cinema screen in the Port of Tallinn, Estonia, on 22 December 2011. A special projector was constructed for the event which allowed the actual filmstrip to be burnt at the same time as the film was shown.

60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero

2011

Crickets poster
7.0

Kaoru, a wealthy woman whose youth is fading, abandons the hustle and bustle of the city to live peacefully in a home on the coast. There, she takes care of an old deaf, dumb and blind man as if he were an insect, a child or a pet. He can’t do anything for himself, so she feeds him and accompanies him on his walks. This strong mutual dependency offers Kaoru an escape from society and allows her to free herself from restrictions imposed by common sense.

Crickets

2006

My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? poster
7.4

A.D. 2015: A virus spreads in many cities globally, a suicidal disease infected by pictures. Once infected, the diseased will soon meet death. They have no way of fighting back, filled with fear and despair. The media calls it the 'Lemming Syndrome'.

My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?

2005

My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? poster
7.4

A.D. 2015: A virus spreads in many cities globally, a suicidal disease infected by pictures. Once infected, the diseased will soon meet death. They have no way of fighting back, filled with fear and despair. The media calls it the 'Lemming Syndrome'.

My God, My God, Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?

2005

Backwater poster
6.1

Toma lives in a small riverside town with his brutish father and his father's girlfriend. Witnessing his father's predilections for abuse, Toma becomes anxious that he will have inherited those urges.

Backwater

2013

Wild Life poster
8.0

An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.

Wild Life

1997

Wild Life poster
8.0

An ex-boxer working for a game parlor owner gets caught up in a complex blackmail operation he doesn't understand. Before long he's caught between two yakuza bosses and a mysterious thief who motivation is unknown. Add in the boss' daughter who has a crush on him and watch him struggle to make sense of it all and come out alive.

Wild Life

1997

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out poster
10.0

Kenji Nakagami, one of the most notable Japanese writers of the post-war, died in 1992. His work reveals a strong connection to his homeland, Kishu: a mountainous region that connects to the Pacific Ocean through a river. "To The Alley" (alternative title) is a documentary about Kenji's life. Incorporating 16 mm images from the writer's personal archive and adding new footage, director Shinji Aoyama travels through the paths of the life and art of the Japanese writer.

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out

2001

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out poster
10.0

Kenji Nakagami, one of the most notable Japanese writers of the post-war, died in 1992. His work reveals a strong connection to his homeland, Kishu: a mountainous region that connects to the Pacific Ocean through a river. "To The Alley" (alternative title) is a documentary about Kenji's life. Incorporating 16 mm images from the writer's personal archive and adding new footage, director Shinji Aoyama travels through the paths of the life and art of the Japanese writer.

To the Backstreet: The Films Kenji Nakagami Left Out

2001

Helpless poster
6.4

Believing his boss double-crossed him, recently released gangster Yasuo is on his way to find the betrayer, but before setting out, he asks Kenji to care for his mentally challenged sister and a mysterious black bag.

Helpless

1996

Helpless poster
6.4

Believing his boss double-crossed him, recently released gangster Yasuo is on his way to find the betrayer, but before setting out, he asks Kenji to care for his mentally challenged sister and a mysterious black bag.

Helpless

1996

The Lakeside Murder Case poster
6.5

Three couples stay at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress.

The Lakeside Murder Case

2005

The Lakeside Murder Case poster
6.5

Three couples stay at a lakeside cottage with their children. They want them to prepare intensely for a prestigious high school entrance exam with the help of a private tutor. One night, one of the wives confesses to her husband that she has killed his mistress.

The Lakeside Murder Case

2005

Sad Vacation poster
7.0

Abandoned by his mother, Kenji scrapes out a meager existence doing odd jobs, including driving bar hostesses and their customers home. Besides this, he cares for the sister of an incarcerated friend and a young illegal immigrant. Eventually, his life reaches a turning point.

Sad Vacation

2007

Sad Vacation poster
7.0

Abandoned by his mother, Kenji scrapes out a meager existence doing odd jobs, including driving bar hostesses and their customers home. Besides this, he cares for the sister of an incarcerated friend and a young illegal immigrant. Eventually, his life reaches a turning point.

Sad Vacation

2007

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name poster
5.5

A private detective takes on an assignment to return a girl, who is set to marry into a prestigious family, from a mysterious commune in the forest.

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name

2003

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name poster
5.5

A private detective takes on an assignment to return a girl, who is set to marry into a prestigious family, from a mysterious commune in the forest.

Mike Yokohama: A Forest with No Name

2003

Two Punks poster
6.2

A young drifter is casually drawn into violence – a crime drama about a boy and a man equally ill-equipped for criminal life and straight society. Neither wants to be a Yakuza, but normal life presents problems.

Two Punks

1996

Shady Grove poster
4.8

A bright, attractive, and driven young woman is intent on marrying her tall, handsome, and dreamy boyfriend. However, he abruptly dumps her.

Shady Grove

1999

Shady Grove poster
4.8

A bright, attractive, and driven young woman is intent on marrying her tall, handsome, and dreamy boyfriend. However, he abruptly dumps her.

Shady Grove

1999

Haruneko poster
NR

Those who want to die seek refuge in a mysterious café in this feverishly strange Japanese debut.

Haruneko

2016

Broken Hearts for Sale poster
NR

An omnibus recorded in a short film by five film directors with the motif of the song "Kai Band".

Broken Hearts for Sale

2015