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Japanese Modern

1997–present·18 films

From Kitano's yakuza poetry to Sono's 4-hour Catholic guilt epics to Miike's 100+ boundary-crossing films.

Japan's modern cinema is the most wildly diverse in the world.

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Filmography

Tetsuo: The Iron Man

1989

Tsukamoto

Man turns to metal. Japanese cyberpunk.

Sonatine

1993

Kitano

Yakuza wait for death on a beach.

Cure

1997

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Hypnotist triggers murders. Influenced True Detective.

Hana-bi

1997

Kitano

Cop, violence, paintings, dying wife. Golden Lion.

Audition

1999

Miike

Widower's audition goes catastrophically wrong.

Battle Royale

2000

Fukasaku

Children fight to death. Predates Hunger Games. Banned.

Ichi the Killer

2001

Miike

Yakuza sadomasochism. Audiences fainted.

Visitor Q

2001

Miike

Dysfunctional family. Nothing off limits.

Pulse

2001

Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Ghosts through internet. Predicted social media isolation.

Gozu

2003

Miike

Yakuza nightmare meets folklore.

Nobody Knows

2004

Kore-eda

Abandoned children survive alone. Based on real case.

Imprint

2006

Miike

Showtime refused to broadcast.

Love Exposure

2008

Sion Sono

4 hours. Catholic guilt, upskirt photos, cults, love. Insane, sincere.

13 Assassins

2010

Miike

Samurai. 45-minute final battle.

Confessions

2010

Nakashima

Teacher reveals students killed her daughter.

Cold Fish

2010

Sion Sono

Serial killer dissolved bodies. Based on real case.

Guilty of Romance

2011

Sion Sono

Professor's wife becomes prostitute. Explicit.

Shoplifters

2018

Kore-eda

Found family of criminals. Palme d'Or. Heartbreaking.

18 films in Japanese Modern