Sumie Sasaki

Ami, haunted by recurring apparitions, embarks on a journey from Singapore to Japan in search of her missing mother. Amidst the transforming landscapes, Ami's dreams, hauntings and lost mother unveil their true form.

Momi’s House is a facility to support self-reliance of young people with problems. The facility is run by Yasutoshi (Naoto Ogata) and his wife Megumi (Misato Tanaka). Ayaka (Sara Minami) is a 16-year-old girl. She has refused to go to school for about half a year. Her mother decides to send her to Momi’s House. While staying there, Ayaka begins to change.

Following the death of his wife professor Kyoichi leads a solitary life by the sea. A stray cat called Mii, who was being fed by his wife, not only continues to drop by, but also seems to be visiting the altar Kyoichi has set up for his deceased wife. While uncomfortable with the cat and its visits, he nonetheless takes up a search when Mii goes missing. The endeavour connects him with the town's folk and reveals that he is not alone.

A high school student steals the panties of a girl he likes but is witnessed, which sets off a chain of events that send his life and the lives of others around him out of control.

The one where they perform an exorcism on Minami Takahashi and stuff. Also the first segment here is Tsuruta remaking the earring story from the original trilogy, so that's pretty cool.

A disillusioned Natsume arrives at Coin de Rue, a popular Tokyo pastry shop, begging for work. Aiming to become a high-calibre pastry chef, she is determined to overcome both her past and the challenges ahead. Pastry critic Tomura is a frequent visitor to Coin de Rue. Moved by Natsume's persistence, he slowly begins to confront his own painful past aided, of course, by mouthfuls of tasty pastries.

A 7 years girl is found dead in the local park’s toilet. Kaga Kyouichiro, who was asked to find the girl, and his cousin Matsumiya Shuhei who’s assigned to investigate the murder case, have to work together to crack the case. Their evidence lead them to Maehara’s, a family with parents, a son and a senile grandmother.

Reiji Kikukawa, who has a strong sense of justice, graduated from the police academy with the lowest score ever. He becomes a police constable, but is suddenly fired by the Police Chief due to "disciplinary" issues. In actuality, the firing is part of a carefully orchestrated plan to set him up as an undercover cop in the Yakuza.

Work life for Shunsuke Osaki has been success after success, but at some point his family began to slip by the wayside. As his elderly father begins to show signs of dementia, Shunsuke takes the family on a trip in a desperate attempt to pull them together before it is too late. Director Mitsutoshi Tanaka's adaptation of Masashi Sada's short story of the same name received the awards for Best Director, Best Actress and Best Music at the 1st Asia International Film Festival in Taipei.

A man and a woman committed double suicide in Kanazawa City. Immediately after the incident, Yoshiko Shiota, a woman living in Tokyo, contacts the local newspaper of Kanazawa, saying she wants to read the novel serialized in it by Ryuji Sugimoto. How did this woman know the novel is serialized in the newspaper? And why does she want to start reading it in the middle of the story? Which article was she actually interested in? Sugimoto cannot help making his own investigations about Yoshiko, but the more he searches, the more astonishing facts come to light...

Ippei Akabane (Takaya Kamikawa) is an unpopular novelist. He barely makes ends meet writing serials novels under different pen names. Daigo Kurei (Shinji Takeda) is on death row. He killed four women twelve years ago. During his murdering spree, he sent pictures of his decapitated victims with flower decoration to the police. The murders and photos caused widespread panic in Japan. One day, Ippei is contacted by Daigo from prison. He asks Ippei if he wants to interview him and write his memoirs. Soon, more women are killed in the same grisly manner as the serial murders from twelve years ago. Now, Ippei becomes the prime suspect of the police and Ippei must quickly find the real murderer. Based on the novel "The Serialist" by David Gordon (published by Simon & Schuster; Original edition on March 9, 2010).

Miyama Akira is a movie director in his 60's. In the past, he left his hometown to chase his dream. When he learns that his friend, who used to talk about their future, died, he goes back to his hometown for the first time in decades. While he walks along the streets there, he thinks about the life of his late friend and gets inspired to write a script about him.

Sci-fi writer Sakutaro (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) and bank employee Setsuko (Yuko Takeuchi) met at as high school freshmen during their summer vacation. Since that time, the couple has always been together and eventually married.One day, Setsuko complains of a stomach ache and is hospitalized. Sakutaro then learns that his wife has colon cancer. Sakutaro takes the advice from his doctor that laughter helps the immune system and proceeds to write a short story for his wife every day. At first, Setsuko was expected to live for only 1 more year, but she lived for 5 more years and Sakutaro eventually wrote 1,778 short stories for his wife.

A 21-year-old girl is released from prison, only to deal with the neighborhood gossip about her and family conflicts. She decides to save one million yen, move to where no one knows her and keep repeating the process.

Adapted from the bestselling Japanese autobiography of the same title, this gentle coming-of-age drama concerns an adolescent boy, Boku - Masaya, torn between the inherited recklessness of his father Oton and the inherited responsibility, wisdom and emotional strength of his mother Okan. Following a period of intensely rebellious behavior, Boku learns that his mom has contracted cancer; suddenly, his mother comes to live with him in Tokyo the entire emotional landscape of his life is altered.

A freelance writer is given a bizarre assignment by the sexy editor of "Black Book Monthly": find a bug with the power to bring humans back from the dead, in order to report on the afterlife. With his trusty companion Endo in tow, he sets off on a quest for the elusive insect and along the way meets the mysterious Sayoko, a former dominatrix and habitual wrist-cutter who delights in rubbing wasabi into her wounds.

Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World" wafts through a hospice recreation room. Sitting at the grand piano is a young girl, Chiori, with a prodigious ability to play any piece of music after one hearing. Keisuke Kisaragi whose career was abruptly cut short when he jumped in front of a bullet fired by a crazed gunman. The nerves in one hand were severed but he saved the life of Chiori. The tragic incident takes the lives of Chiori's parents, however, and Keisuke becomes her guardian. Not long after their return to Japan, Keisuke discovers Chiori's musical gift.

Aimi and her father move into an old, apartment building and learn quickly that things are not as they seem.

No synopsis available yet.

Hosted by veteran comedian Tamori, "Bizarre Tales 2007 Fall Special" presents five tales. 1. Mirai Dousoukai - starring Ishihara Satomi. 2. Countdown - starring Abe Sadao. 3. Jihanki Otoko - starring Joshima Shigeru. 4. Gomi Onna - starring Matsushita Yuki. 5. 48% no Koi - starring Shiraishi Miho. Synopsis: A "trainee angel" named Natsumi works on Earth for an advertising company. In order for her to become a fully-fledged angel, Natsumi must facilitate the meeting of a man and a woman who are destined "by fate" to spend their lives together, and she has her sights on a man who works in the same building.

Naive office girl Yuko supports her blithe big city lifestyle with a part-time job at a neighborhood cafe. Attracted to her manager there, the shallow but charming Yutaka, she willingly succumbs to his lascivious advances only to discover afterward that he already has a girlfriend by the name of Midori. Even so, Yuko's feelings for Yutaka continue to grow regardless of his aloofness. Before long she finds herself reluctantly cajoled into working as a hostess in a small karaoke bar. Fatalistically accepting his dalliances with flames old and new, she perseveres not so much in hope of a more substantial relationship, but rather out of fear of losing him. There are other men out there waiting for her -- kinder, more considerate and eagerly available. But for Yuko, there is only the non-committal, yet torridly magnetic Yutaka. Why him? Not even Yuko seems to know the answer.

Hana is a nineteen-year old expectant mother. She travels with her grandmother's ashes to her grandmother's house. Hana's mother, who gave birth to Hana when she herself was a teenager, now resides in the home. They are on the outs with each other, but are forced to stay with each other when Hana's boyfriend fails to show.

The indolent son of an oil vendor becomes a regular customer of a prostitute, racks up a mountain of debt, and is disowned by his parents.

Set during the Meiji period (1868-1912), Kaede is the former mistress of a wealthy merchant. When he dies, she is forced out on the street and forced to give up her young daughter to the merchant’s family.

A surreal period film following a university professor and his eerie nomad friend as they go through loose romantic triangles and face death in peculiar ways.

A ruined businessman was forced to sell his daughter, Hisano, to a brothel in Yoshiwara, the largest red-light district in Tokyo. The owner of the brothel has hopes to make her a great new addition which will attract the richest of customers. But after several months of training, she tries to flee Yoshiwara when the time has come for her to take her first customer...

Rokuheita Narumi is fascinated by oriental art and works as the director of the Saho Art Museum in Nara. His wife, Noriko, is unable to leave Tokyo, despite his wishes, and the two live separately. Feeling lonely and neglected by her husband, she immerses herself in the depraved life of the city and continues to have a loveless relationship with a doctor, Katsumori. One day, Narumi arrives in Tokyo and learns of Noriko's affair, but he cannot divorce her for the sake of their child, so he devotes himself to his work.

Anthology film. "What's Wrong with Eating?" Numayama Kazuki is always complaining about his wife's, Atsugi Shizuka, body shape. Because of that Shizuka tries her best to restrict her diet and please Kazuki. "It's So Far Away!" Karuma Sae is an office lady who works in the city center but lives with her family in a house far away from her work. Because she is always rushing to catch the last train, she can never enjoy a decent date with her boyfriend, Oishi Mamoru. Her father is also always interfering in her life, so she can't appreciate the city life and isn't happy. "Get Ready to Drive!" Masuko is a new taxi driver in Tokyo who is very stressed from dealing with the behavior of some passengers. One night he drives a very beautiful drunk hostess home. "What Is English?" Kosaka Shigeru, a businessman, was transferred to a Chicago branch factory. He tried hard to learn English, practicing day and night, but couldn't improve as much as he expected.

Yukio is an ex-farmer working as a dump-truck driver in Kashima. Haunted by the drowning of his two young sons, whose names he has had tattooed on his back in penance, and locked in a sibling rivalry with his traditional but urbane younger brother who lives in Tokyo, Yukio has become an amphetamine-addicted loner at odds with his family, friends and colleagues.

Young writer Tamako, who is wrongfully accused of killing the head yakuza, must find a way out of trouble.

A police procedural surrounding murder at a bookstore and the private lives of the cops trying to solve the case.

Ryo finds employment cleaning windows of high-rises. Kagari lives inside one of the buildings. Ryo and Kagari lock gazes for a moment. It is a moment when one can help the other, but also when two persons who usually cannot communicate do.

A remake of the 1953 film of the same name.

The story of a teacher who comes to a village on the Inland Sea and the relationship that develops between her and her 12 pupils.

No synopsis available yet.

No synopsis available yet.

Based on the comic book by Tatsuo Kanai

Japanese Drama film about the female experience during the war years.

Here is a school that has never expelled a single student, believing in its children even after betrayal and betrayal after betrayal! Yoji (Yoichi Sase), the son of a doctor in Suwa, and Nobuko (Mayuki Kirihara), the daughter of a weaver in Kyoto, are transferred to the class of Omura (Chiemi Eri), a PE teacher at Shinonoi Asahi High School, a private school for troubled children. The school principal (Hiroyuki Nagato) says that the school's policy of "not letting anyone drop out of school" must be upheld, and Omura struggles to do everything in his power to respond. Based on a true story by Shigeta Wakabayashi, an education critic, the film depicts the relationship between a student abandoned by his parents and a teacher who sincerely deals with them.

A married woman and her lover murder her husband and dump his body into a well, but his ghost returns to haunt them as the local gossip intensifies.

After over 50 years of wandering up and down Japan, finally in the 1970s, the rough-hewn blind shamisen player and folk-song collector named Takahashi Chikuzan became a musical sensation. This biographical drama chronicles his wanderings and his life, with a particular focus on his humble beginnings as a peasant on a remote and arid island.

Patronized by a gang ruling the city, Mako delinquently plays around a night club every night with her bad company. One night, a guy Hideo gets closer to her for one-night stand, and they consequently fall in love. However, Hideo is killed by the gang. Mako swears vengeance on her beloved's murderer.

Michio Yamada, a recent school graduate, is sent to Tokyo to work as a fruit-packer in a department store as part of a government programme. He takes a gun from a house on an American base and uses it to kill several people. The scene changes to Yamada's childhood. Yamada is born the child of a reprobate and a weak-willed woman. As a boy Yamada, experiences poverty and the rape of his sister at first hand.

A group of teenagers grow up in Okinawa amid the protests and resistance against the presence of the American base in the island.

Japanese youngsters enduring hard training in Recruit Camp and then going to Iwo Jima in the last days of World War II.

Set at the end of the feudal period. A woman spends most of her early life in prison, incarcerated by political opponents of her father. When she is released at the age of 44, the power struggles of her clan continue to disturb her life and the man whom she loves.

How did two sisters from Tsugaru survive in the big city of Tokyo? The older sister passed the nursing exam and works at a major hospital in Tokyo. Meanwhile, the younger sister works as a menial laborer for a grimy obstetrician in a working-class neighborhood. The older sister, with a saintly face, works as a nurse, but in secret, she is consumed by carnal desires for men, while the younger sister, a naive and innocent country bumpkin, is trampled upon in the hell of adult lust... For some reason, these two contrasting sisters end up fighting over the same man... What will be the outcome of their fate?

Ayako is a 7-year-old girl with a dark, tanned face and a somewhat mysterious expression on her face. She shows up at the elementary school and acts strangely, but the children don't know her name and just call her "that girl". There are two groups of children at the elementary school, and the conflict between the groups intensifies...

Kyoko and her mother Yuki returned to their hometown of Fukui. Yuki runs a dressmaker's store in the city, and Kyoko has taken a job as a nurse at a prefectural hospital. The film depicts the daughter's attempt to grow from adolescence to adulthood in a family of one mother and one daughter, and her emotional exchange with her mother against the backdrop of the harsh natural environment.

A woman, Tome, is born to a lower class family in Japan in 1918. The title refers to an insect, repeating its mistakes, as in an infinite circle. Imamura, with this metaphor, introduces the life of Tome, who keeps trying to change her poor life.

A man wanders into a seemingly deserted town with his young son in search of work. But after a bit of bad luck, he joins the town's population of lost souls.

The ship Kaijin Maru is left adrift after losing all means of navigation in a storm. The four people on the ship are becoming increasingly desperate as food and water run out.

In the middle of the era, Taisho, a big boss in Asakusa Iizuka, was severely questioned by the police about the source of funds for the Daido Federation, to which he belonged. The creditor, Izo, visited the local police station daily, worried about the safety of his boss, and himself came to the attention of the police. Izo embarks on a journey to escape, but in the meantime, the new rising yakuza Dojima plans to kill Iizuka...

Wakae is a 15 year old girl who lived under the same roof with her alcoholic father and stepmom. Her mother had died years ago. She spends her nights at a rundown bar, sharing drinks and cigarettes with the lowlife drunks. She has nowhere to turn and no one to talk to, until she is reunited with her childhood friend, Saburo, who brings warmth to her heart.

When a US army sergeant is found drowned in Tokyo Bay, an investigation is launched to determine how and why he lost his life. The investigation uncovers a black market scheme involving counterfeit money, murder, and conspiracy.

1962 Japanese movie

A coming-of-age drama based on a novel by Kei Moriyama.

Based on the Seichō Matsumoto's story The Woman Who Took the Local Paper.

A group of five rookie insurance salespersons, driven to desperation by the impossibility of their work in Japan's failing postwar economy, form a plan to rob a cash delivery truck in order to provide for their families.

Ginko, a poor cobbler's daughter, becomes a geisha to support her family. She passes from one geisha house to the next, trying to find love and hope in the process. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't escape her sad fate.