A rush of imagery to the heart and head

MANILA, Philippines - Calling all Cineastes. Adjust those glasses and be prepared to sigh with each celluloid rush at the Eiga Sai 2001 festival.

Shangri-La Plaza once again plays host to the Japanese Film Festival, also known as Eiga Sai, from July 2 to 11 at Shang Cineplex 4. Loyal patrons and film aficionados can look forward to another round of cinematic pleasures as this year’s Eiga Sai, done in partnership with the Embassy of Japan and Japan Foundation, features 10 Japanese masterpieces from various film genres.

The Embassy of Japan’s Sakura Ozaki says they went through a lot of contemporary Japanese films to come up with a solid lineup. She explains, “Even if you see just one film, you’d be able to understand how Japanese families live, what are the cultural issues in Japan, and how we define relationships in families or companies.”

The highly-acclaimed Always Sunset on Third Street 2 (Always zoku San-chome no Yuhi) is the sequel of Always Sunset on Third Street. The movie returns to the life of would-be writer Ryonosuke Chagawa and other familiar characters, including Norifumi and Tomoe Suzuki. Joined by a host of new characters, the film is a moving story of hope for all audiences and is a striking reflection of Tokyo society in the fifties.

The Battery Future in Our Hands (Batterii) chronicles the life of Harada Takumi, a talented baseball pitcher who relocates to a country town in Okayama for his sickly brother. Just when he forms a partnership with Okayama catcher Nakagura Go, he is faced with his brother’s sudden illness, challenging his passion for the sport.

Taking place in present-day Tokyo, I Just Didn’t Do It (Soredomo Boku Wa Yatte Nai) journeys through the personal struggles of young Kaneko Teppei, who is falsely accused of molesting a high school girl. Upon his arrest, he is made to sign statements not his own and undergoes a series of court sessions to prove his innocence.

Intelligently tackling the issues of an adolescent girl, How to Become Myself (Ashita no Watashi no Tsukurikata) is a film that deals with the lives of Juri and Kanako, two girls who struggle with issues of personal identity, from their elementary school days to their high school lives.

The Bandage Club (Houtai Kurabu) tells the story of high school student Wara, who bottles up a darker side beneath a cheerful demeanor. She meets a boy called Dino and starts a club with him and other friends — a group of peers who all have their own individual struggles, yet are trying to work through them together as a team.

A fascinating watch for the film lover, Glasses (Megane) takes place in a small island in South Japan. Stressed-out career woman Taeko, who goes on an island vacation, experiences a strange way of life on the island as she encounters different characters (all of whom wear glasses) and an intriguing exercise called merci taiso.

Equally gripping and insightful is Fourteen (Juyon-sai), a movie that aptly portrays how past traumas can resurface during adulthood. Burdened by the dark memories of their 14-year-old pasts, adults Fukatsu and Sugino attempt to overcome their inner battles by keeping troubled 14-year-olds company.

Tokyo Tower Mom & Me, and Sometimes Dad (Tokyo Tawaa Okan tu Boku to Tokidoki Oton) creatively transports the viewer back and forth between the past and the present, with main character Masaya narrating his story from childhood to present day, as he watches his mother die of cancer.

Based on a manga by Oda Hideji, Miyori in the Sacred Forest (Miyori no Mori) tackles the issue of environmental destruction through central character Miyori, an 11-year-old from Tokyo who recognizes the value of a nearby forest after being placed under the wing of her grandmother soon after her parents leave her.

Finally, Franz Kafka’s A Country Doctor (Kafka Inaka Isha) takes one back to Japan in the 1900s, where a rural doctor receives an emergency call in the dead of the winter night, and finds himself in bed with his patient with no way out.

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