All posts tagged: actress

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Secret Breaths

Published by Ben Dimagmaliw

Yuriko had been violently hurt by love and has given up on everything. She ends up wandering around an island where she meets a strange man, Iwai, who is renting out a room at his house for 500 yen a day. Deciding to stay at Iwai’s house that night, Yuriko peeks in on Iwai and spies his closet actions that comes across as if he’s clinging on to a past love. Despite ridiculing Iwai, she is intrigued and continues to live with him as if nothing happened. She passes the day peacefully with Iwai, but at night peeks in on his intense acts. Why does he do what he does? Ultimately, Yuriko’s desires spur her to surprising actions of her own and their lives take an unexpected turn.  Murata Yui Given the Hokkaido-born actress’ early filmography, appearing in such J-cult classics as Helldriver and Yakuza Weapon, Murata Yui might have become one of Japan’s cult movie queens. But she diversified and also appeared in indie fare such as Imaizumi Rikiya’s ensemble Same Old, Same Old. Recently she was one …

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Serving Up Horror: Nakanishi Mai shares the backstory of her sophomore short Swallow

Published by Ben Dimagmaliw

In Swallow a striving actress is invited to a private, gourmet club only to discover her competition has prepared a horrifying banquet which devours her. Writer-director Nakanishi Mai follows up her haunting and atmospheric short Hana with a tale of the horrific depths to which human rivalries will go. Though she has worked for large companies such as Kadokawa, the bonafide genre fan has also dedicated time abroad collaborating with international genre stalwarts particularly in the realm of horror movies. Additionally, she founded the Scream Queen FilmFest Tokyo in 2013, a female-driven genre festival dedicated to sharing the unique and diverse visions that female artists bring to genre movies. With Hana, her directorial debut, she herself has become an exciting new voice in horror. And as with any sophomore effort, building upon the success of the first while continuing to creatively evolve took Nakanishi on a journey of opportunities and interesting turns. The seeds of Swallow first germinated in a short movie script which was scheduled to be shot in Korea that was cancelled. A Taiwanese producer told Nakanishi about a short …

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She’s Gone

Published by Ben Dimagmaliw

Kotoko, a teenage girl who just entered high school, does not have any friends. School life, home, and even TV have been far from enjoyable for her lately. At school, the seat behind her is empty. Seto Sachi, the frail girl who sits there, is recovering from an illness in a hospital. Although they have never met, Kotoko knows her by her nickname “Satchan”. When asked by her mother whether she has made any friends at school, Kotoko tells her that she has made a friend named “Satchan.” From then on, Kotoko starts spending time with Satchan, an imaginary friend born out of a lie. The streets they walk, the parfait they ate together… Kotoko’s high school life means nothing without Satchan. Then one day, she finally meets the real Satchan in person – but at her funeral. Writer, director and editor Ogawa Sara is also an actress whom you might have seen in Innocent 15 or The Sacrament which garnered her a Best Actress award at Moosic Lab 2017. She is currently a student at Waseda University studying film …