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Raindance Film Festival · 2009

Raindance Film Festival 2009

Way Out East

This year focusing on Japanese women directors.

Programme

10 films · 3 reviews

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Ain't No Tomorrows (Oretachi ni asu wa naissu)

(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Yuki Tanada; Stars: Sakura Ando, Tokio Emoto, Yuya Endo, Ini Kusano)

Firefly (Hotaru)

Story of a turbulent love affair.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2000; Director: Naomi Kawase; Writer: Naomi Kawase; Stars: Yûko Nakamura, Toshiya Nagasawa, Miyako Yamaguchi, Toshiyuki Kitami, Ken Mitsuishi)

Instant Swamp (Insutanto numa)

Review preview for Instant Swamp

The real charm and humour comes from the characters’ feisty interplay.

Paul Griffiths · 3.5 out of 5
When a woman has a run of bad luck and her mother falls ill, she finds out that her family might not be everything she assumed it was.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Satoshi Miki; Writer: Satoshi Miki; Stars: Kumiko Aso, Ryo Kase, Morio Kazame, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shoko Aida) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

Kakera (Kakera - A Piece Of Our Life)

Review preview for Kakera

The lesbian tag need not restrict heterosexual aficionados of human relationships.

Angus Wolfe Murray · 3.5 out of 5
One love, two girls, Japanese-style.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Momoko Andô; Writer: Momoko Andô; Stars: Hikari Mitsushima, Eriko Nakamura, Ken Mitsuishi, Tasuku Nagaoka)

Full review

Lalapipo

One slightly seedy Tokyo night, as seen through the eyes of six protagonists.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Masayuki Miyano; Writer: Tetsuya Nakashima; Stars: Saori Hara, Tomoko Murakami, Hiroki Narimiya)

Lily Festival (Yurisai)

A 75-year-old casanova causes problems.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2001; Director: Sachi Hamano; Writer: Kuninori Yamazaki; Stars: Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Mickey Curtis, Utae Shoji, Kazuko Shirakawa, Sanae Nakahara, Chisako Hara, Hisako Ôkata, Sachiko Meguro)

Locked Out

A chance encounter with a young boy, who climbs into his car by accident, presents a man with an opportunity for change.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2009; Director: Yasunobu Takahashi; Stars: Noboru Akima, Keisaku Kimura, Tomomi Miyashita, Miho Ogata, Yutaka Ohnuki, Takeru Shimada, Kiichi Sonobe) , Official site

Love Exposure (Ai no mukidashi)

A man becomes a photo voyeur so that he can sin enough to confess to his father.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Sion Sono; Writer: Sion Sono; Stars: Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Ando)

Mime-Mime

Review preview for Mime-Mime

Mime-Mime’s frustrations eventually outweigh its rewards.

Emma Slawinski · 3 out of 5
Story about an eccentric who is the black sheep of her family.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Yukiko Sode; Writer: Yukiko Sode; Stars: Ayaco Niijima Masahisa Yamazoe, Kanji Tsuda)

Full review

Vacation (Kyûka)

An unlikely friendship develops between a prison guard and a death row prisoner.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2008; Director: Hajime Kadoi; Writer: Akira Yoshimura, Dai Sakô; Stars: Kaoru Kobayashi, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Nene Otsuka, Ren Ôsugi, Keiichi Asada, Asami Imajuku, Taro Kanazawa, Shuuji Kashiwabara, Yuji Kato, Lily, Ren Murakami, Shunpei Ohtani, Gô Rijû, Hideo Sakaki, Toshio Sakamoto)