Mio on the Shore (2019)
Miss your annual trips to Japan? *sigh* So do we. But you know what’s the next best way to transport yourself to a foreign land? Films.
Starting from Friday, November 13, catch some of the best contemporary films Nippon has to offer at House Samyan movie theatre at Samyan Mitrtown. A total of 18 Japanese titles have been curated by The Japan Foundation, including four stop-motion animation works by award-winning director Takeshi Yashiro. Find the full screening list, schedule and our quick and easy synopses below.
- AI Amok (sci-fi, thriller) – By 2030, life in Tokyo is run by artificial intelligence, but while AI is considered sophisticated, convenient and also essential to life, it is far from perfectly ethical and safe to the city’s inhabitants.
- Gone Wednesday (mystery) – A story about multiple personalities, a seemingly normal young man is more than he appears to be, as his diary reveals.
- Howling Village (horror) – A psychologist finds herself drawn to the haunted village of Inunaki, which literally means ‘dog’s cry’ or ‘howling’, as family is involved.
- Little Nights, Little Love (romance) – A tale of classic romance begins after a man and a woman encounter each other on the street by chance one fateful night.
- Mio on the Shore (drama) – Twenty-year-old Mio finds herself having to leave her hometown in Nagano to live and work in Tokyo. She finds her place at a family friend’s bathhouse.
- Not Quite Dead Yet (comedy) – In a strange attempt to figure out who is stealing from his company, a pharma CEO takes a drug that temporarily kills him for two days.
- One Night (drama, family) – Separated as children, siblings reunite with stories to tell but not without ease.
- One Summer Story (family) – Two high school students embark on a journey to find one of their fathers, meeting interesting characters along the way.
- Silent Rain (drama) – A young bio-archaeologist falls for a graduate student working in the same office, but just as they are about to get closer, a terrible accident occurs.
- Step (drama, family) – Kenichi raises his daughter Miki alone for 10 years after his wife Tomoko passes away.
- Stolen Identity (mystery, thriller) – After her boyfriend loses his phone, Asami finds her personal information leaked. At the same time, female bodies from serial murders are discovered.
- Talking the Pictures (comedy) – In early 20th Century Japan, a young man aspires to break into the silent film industry as a dramatic narrator, encountering competition in the niche career.
- Tora-san, Wish You Were Here (comedy, drama) – The 50th film in the Tora-san series centres on Tora-san’s nephew, Mitsuo, who runs into his first love, Izumi.
- Voices in the Wind (drama) – Inspired by a true story, a woman discovers an unconnected telephone booth in the middle of nowhere that might be a direct line to those who have passed.
One Summer Story (2020)
- Gon, The Little Fox – An animation based on a famous Japanese children’s story written by Niimi Nankichi, who’s known as the Hans Christian Andersen of Japan.
- Moon of a Sleepless Night – A boy and a squirrel go on a quest to rescue the moon, which got stuck in the trees.
- Norman The Snowman – The Northern Light – A boy and a snowman embark on an adventure to witness the wonders of cold country nature.
- Norman The Snowman – On a Night of Shooting Stars – A boy and a snowman attempt to see a meteor shower.
Poster for ‘Moon of a Sleepless Night’ by Takeshi Yashiro
The film festival runs until November 22, but if you happen to be unable to make these dates, The Japan Foundation is kindly offering screenings online, for free, from November 20 until November 29. The following is a preview of what will be screening online. More details to be released by The Japan Foundation in upcoming days.
For movie theatre screenings at Samyan Mitrtown, general audience tickets are 160 baht per person per screening. Students and members pay 120 and 140 baht, respectively. You can purchase tickets at the cinema counter or in advance at housesamyan.com.
